®

mobiquity Money
A Decade of Transforming Lives

THE THEME LEVERAGES A MOTIF THAT
DEPICTS THE GLORY OF THE ALL PERVASIVE
SUN. THE SUN MOTIF APTLY CONVEYS THE
MESSAGE OF ‘TOMORROW’.
THE ARTISTIC RENDITION OF THE SUN HAS
CONTEMPORARY ‘DIGITAL FLUIDITY’ SHAPES
EMERGING FROM THE CENTER AND FLOWING
OUTWARD AKIN TO THE RAYS OF THE SUN.
THE PERENNIAL ENERGY AND BRILLIANCE OF
THE SUN IS LIKE THE CONSISTENT
EXPERTISE, INTELLECT AND ENERGY THAT
WE DRAW TOGETHER TO DRIVE
THE BUSINESS OF TOMORROWS.
Comviva is the global leader of mobility solutions catering to
The Business of Tomorrows. The company is a subsidiary of
Tech Mahindra and a part of the $19 billion Mahindra Group.
Its extensive portfolio of solutions spans mobile financial
solutions, customer value management, messaging and
broadband solutions, digital lifestyle solutions and managed
VAS services. It enables service providers to enhance customer
experience, rationalize costs and accelerate revenue growth.
Comviva’s solutions are deployed by over 130 mobile service
providers and financial institutions in over 95 countries
and enrich the lives of over two billion people to deliver a
better future.

THE RISING OF THE SUN IS THE PROMISE OF

THE TOMORROW. IT IS A FITTING METAPHOR
FOR THE BUSINESS OF TOMORROWS
THAT WILL INSPIRE A REMARKABLE
TEAM OF STAR PERFORMERS.
 WE ARE
For our industry, tomorrow is the only reality. The fast paced
innovation that drives our business is unprecedented. We, at
Comviva, have acknowledged that and all of us have committed
ourselves to 'The Business of Tomorrows'. The Business of

THE BUSINESS OF
Tomorrows defines our intent, how we plan to make businesses
better, impact the lives of customers in all markets and unearth
opportunities where none exist.

Comviva is working towards leveraging these opportunities

to the fullest. We are ready for many tomorrows and are
poised to challenge the status quo.
MAO
M A N O R A N J A N
M O H A P A T R A

The idea is to stretch the

limit of existing barriers by
adopting an ‘open’ approach
to mobile money.
P R E F A C E
It would be an understatement to say that the past decade has been an eventful
one for us in the mobile money space. Not merely by virtue of the journey
itself, but by how much has been (and is still to be) achieved during this time.
To put things in perspective, let’s take a quick look at the broader picture - i.e.-the
global industry. Over the last 10 years, enhancing financial inclusion has,
without a doubt, topped the priority list of every stakeholder in the global
payments space. And here’s how it paid off - as per the World Bank Group’s
The Global Findex database (updated in 2014), the number of unbanked
people globally reduced by 20 per cent to 2 billion between 2011 and
2014. As was expected, the biggest impact was registered in emerging
economies -namely Sub-Saharan Africa, where in 2015, the number of
mobile money accounts surpassed bank accounts in the region.
It hasn’t been an easy journey, of course, but it has been an immensely
successful one. The secret sauce (in my opinion, at least) is a very simple
premise: that the mobile money story goes deeper than establishing the
necessary infrastructure and choosing the appropriate technology. The fact
is that one cannot hope to unleash the full potential of (indeed) any technology,
without ensuring that it fulfills the greater good. That is, to reach the maximum
number of people globally. Naturally, then, focusing on financial inclusion
is the most obvious step.
Like for all key stakeholders, this has held true for us as well. Throughout our
journey, consolidating our presence by deploying nimble and frugal innovation
has been the bottom-line. The idea was (and still is) to stretch the limit of
existing barriers by adopting an ‘open’ approach to mobile money.
And why not? Consider the overall industry landscape when we embarked
upon our journey. Back in the day (read 2006), with a mere 6 live deployments
globally, mobile money was a far cry from what it is today. It was, in fact,
merely an idea, confined to fireside discussions behind closed doors. The
global population was largely un-banked and traditional methods of savings
and payments held sway. Back then, informal and risky methods of sending
money long-distance via bus drivers or acquaintances were the norm. As
were an array of informal financial services and providers of these services.
Broadly, these included money lenders, deposit collectors, stores providing
credit, pawnshops, and friends and family.
Clearly not a conducive environment for risk-taking, but (and some would
dispute this) isn’t walking on the sidewalk before it becomes a highway the
first order of any business to succeed?
With this very optimistic view, we launched our very first mobiquity® Money
deployment with Grameenphone and the Bangladesh Power Department
Board. Launched in 2006, the service was called BillPay and it was a
mobile-based utility payments facility. The success in Grameenphone
motivated us to develop mobiquity® Money as a full-fledged mobile money
solution. After two years of hard work we launched our first comprehensive
mobile money service with Orange in Ivory Coast named Orange Money. The
service portfolio has now grown beyond bill payments to include cash-in,
cash-out, money transfer, airtime top-up and merchant payments.
We have, needless to say, come a long way since then. Over the years,
we have successfully inked lucrative partnerships with various operators
and financial institutions and grown our customer base from just three
commercial deployments in three countries in 2008 to over 60 deployments
in more than 45 countries by end-2017. Amongst our notable partners, one
can count Orange, Airtel, Econet Wireless, Maroc Telecom, Millicom (Tigo),
Grameenphone, Banglalink, Barclays, Somtel, Kyrgyz Investment and
Credit Bank, GT&T, Asiacell, Movilred, Roshan, et. al.
We do, of course, prefer to let the numbers do the talking. Over the years, our
scale (and ambition) has grown multifold - from 0 to 100 million registered
mobile money customers in less than a decade, to be precise, and all powered
by mobiquity® Money. In terms of transaction volumes, we process over
$60 billion annually through our mobile money systems. From the perspective of
‘fulfilling the greater good’, mobile money services powered by our offerings
have helped to create cash-lite economies. For example, in EcoCash, mobile
money services account for 53 per cent of Zimbabwe’s gross domestic product.
That number stands at 25 per cent in Mali, owing to Orange Money’s mobile
money services.
From an even broader socio-economic perspective, we have ensured that the
struggle for customers to avail financial services is mitigated, if not completely
eliminated. Think about it - with the cost of remittances declining, millions of
customers can now easily directly receive remittances in their mobile money
wallet, thus providing sustainable livelihoods to the elderly, women and children.
That’s not all - with these payment instruments, all customers, especially
government employees, do not have to travel for days to cities and queue up to
receive salaries. Likewise, thousands of refugees and people impacted
by natural disasters are receiving financial aid directly via mobile money,
helping them to fight hunger and adversities. In addition, using mobile money
for payments reduces the risk of pilferage and other delays.
The list, as expected, goes on. Another interesting use case is paying utility
bills instantly, as opposed to queuing up for hours, leading to savings in both
time and money. On their part, utility companies, too, get to collect payments
efficiently, thereby reducing revenue leakage and losses.
Breaking it down further, it would be worthwhile mentioning that mobile based
savings and ‘savings club’ services have helped people build resilience (and
funds) during emergencies. On a similar note, micro-loans have provided essential
funds for small and medium enterprises, which, naturally, offer a fillip to the business.
mobiquity® Money is not just about consumers, but it also creates payments
infrastructure - that is, a network of agents enabling last mile cash-in and
Manoranjan Mohapatra
cash-out services. This, in turn, provides sustainable livelihood to many Chief Executive Officer
people. mobiquity® Money, through its multiple services, has generated
employment opportunities for over 600 million mobile money agents.
Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, though. It still may be too early to call it a day,
and here’s why: constant technological innovation is the key! With this in mind,
we have evolved from mobiquity® Money 1.0 to mobiquity® Money 5.0 over
the last decade. Briefly, the fifth generation of mobiquity® Money is expected
to enable mobile money business managers to align with the rapidly changing
mobile money landscape and quickly respond to the demands of the market.
How? By making it easier to implement changes, defining the customer’s
journey, easing integration with third parties, offering flexible pricing models
and promotions and closely monitoring business performance to formulate growth
strategies. The underlying micro-service architecture powering the mobiquity®
Money 5.0 improves modularity and makes the entire application easier to
understand, develop and test. This is, of course, merely the tip of the iceberg.
Net, net, while it has, needless to say, been a challenging and eventful journey,
I believe the best is yet to come. And we’re geared up to meet any challenge
this space may throw our way. After all, when we talk about unearthing
opportunities in markets (even if none exist), isn’t this walking the talk?
F O R E W O R D
It has been an incredible decade of growth for the mobile money industry.
From the launch of M-Pesa in Kenya 10 years ago, mobile money is now
processing over a billion dollars a day. Services are available in three-quarters
of low- and lower-middle-income countries, where the demand for greater
financial inclusion is most acute. Against this backdrop, it is time to reflect
on the progress made so far and, more importantly, to consider what more
remains to be done.
With 690 million registered mobile money accounts worldwide, mobile money
has turned traditional notions of financial services on their head, and has
had a far-reaching impact on the lives of customers who previously had no
access to banks. Mobile money does far more than just store money in a
digital format on a mobile handset. It provides customers with a tool for
greater privacy, personal security, and empowerment. This service will play an
essential role in achieving 11 of the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development
Goals, increasing financial inclusion and lessening inequality. We already
see its impact in advancing gender equality by giving women greater control
over household finances, as well as access to the credit needed to start
or expand businesses.
Mobile money has supported employment opportunities for millions in developing
economies through the network of agents who register customers and
execute cash-in and cash-out transactions. In 2017, the number of registered
agents worldwide grew to 5.34 million in 90 countries. The service has also
been a powerful catalyst to local businesses and entrepreneurs in these
markets. This is significant in light of the fact that formal small- and
medium-sized enterprises contribute up to 45 per cent of employment and
33 per cent of a country’s gross domestic product in developing markets.
John Giusti
Chief Regulatory Officer, GSMA
Continued progress in advancing financial inclusion is not guaranteed. Mobile
money services are still nascent in a large number of markets, with many
providers having existed for a mere five years or less. The task of building a
broad, efficient agent network is ongoing, as are efforts to forge the right
partnerships to meet the needs of existing and potential customers. In many
markets, regulatory barriers are putting further growth at risk. Some countries
that began with a progressive approach toward enabling mobile money
are now considering moves that could roll back the impressive gains made
in getting more people financially included in the economy and society.
Despite these challenges, the rapid proliferation of start-ups, together with the
digitization of new sectors of the economy that will need a strong payment
mechanism bode well for the future of the industry. Mobile money is enabling
innovation across multiple sectors, from digital bulk disbursements for
government payments to pay-as-you-go solar models for rural and off-grid
areas. In an increasingly turbulent world, mobile-based services are also
proving critical to reach those most in need. As the scale of humanitarian
emergencies grow, mobile money providers are delivering digital humanitarian
cash transfers to refugees and other crisis-affected people in Iraq, Uganda,
and beyond, helping to deliver more efficient and dignified assistance.
Mobile money’s first decade has been eventful, to say the least. No other
infrastructure reaches more people in more places than mobile networks.
The mobile industry strives to use its reach to bring more innovative,
customer-centric financial services to their subscribers around the world.
We look forward to meeting whatever challenges and opportunities the
next decade holds.
F O R E W O R D
The story of mobile money is an oft-told one, albeit with multiple variations.
One factor is constant, though: the global success of mobile money cannot
be underestimated. From a mere 6 live global deployments ten years ago, the
service stands strong today, with presence in two-thirds of low-and-middle
income countries.
We are proud to play a role in this transformation. Our journey began in 2008,
in partnership with Mahindra Comviva. This time period marked the launch
of our first Orange Money service in Ivory Coast. This was an important
milestone, not merely by virtue of the fact that it was Western Africa’s very
first mobile money service.
This was, of course, just the beginning of a long and fruitful journey. We’ve
come a long way since then, with an expanded global footprint and, perhaps
most importantly, a complete transformation of the mobile money industry
in each market.
But, let’s let the numbers do the talking. Currently, we are present in 17
African and Middle Eastern countries under the Orange Money brand. We
are also exploring the business potential of the European market, in particular
Romania, where the mobile handset is becoming an important cog in day-to-day
lives. We are catering to over 37 million registered customers. In 2017 we
have processed over €26 billion in transactions.
Of course, the success of mobile money cannot (and should not) be measured
merely by numbers alone. After all, when one talks about the service, the
broader themes of financial inclusion and transforming lives come into
play. And that is exactly what we aim to focus on as well.
Marc Rennard
Deputy Chief Executive Officer,
Customer Experience and Mobile Banking,
Orange
Our gamut of mobile money services has enabled customers to lead more
fulfilling financial lives, by changing the way their money is used, saved
and distributed. For example, customers leverage the service to transfer
and store money on their handsets, especially handy in times of emergencies.
Likewise, women, too, can no longer be considered a ‘financially excluded’
segment, with mobile money-based products that encourage savings and
insurance. For a country like Mali, where the maternal mortality rates are
shockingly high, such services can only change things for the better!
Going a step further, mobile money has enabled tasks such as paying school
fees, electricity bills, and taxes to become simpler, efficient and streamlined.
What’s more, digitizing these tasks has helped reduce handling cash as
well as associated losses. Another interesting use case is mobile money
being leveraged to make donations. Using mobile money not only makes
the entire process more convenient, but also enables the beneficiaries to
receive the amount directly, thereby stemming fund leakage and enabling
optimal fund utilization. Finally, I would also like to briefly mention the
cross-continental money transfer service. This aims at simplifying, securing
and facilitating instant fund transfer between West African nations as well
as between France and Africa via the mobile phone.
Needless to say, our journey has just begun. The expected innovations in
mobile money going forward will keep us on our toes, as will the enhanced
collaboration in the mobile money ecosystem. One thing’s for certain, though,
the best is yet to come for mobile money.
CONTENTS

20 CAMEROON 34 GABON 52 LESOTHO 80 TANZANIA

81 Airtel, Airtel Money: Tap Tap
53 Econet Telecom, EcoCash:
21 Orange, Orange Money: 35 Airtel, Airtel Money:
Payment for Funeral Schemes 83 Airtel, Airtel Money: Timiza
Electricity Payments TV Subscription Payment
85 Airtel, Airtel Money: Linda Mbegu
87 Airtel, Airtel Money: Interoperability

06 BANGLADESH
07 Banglalink, Mobile Cash: 38 GUYANA 66 MALI
67 Orange, Orange Money:
Insurance Premium Payment 39 Guyana Telephone and Telegraph, Sini Tonon and Tin Nogoya
Mobile Money Guyana: Tax Payments
09 Grameenphone, GPAY:
Train Ticketing

24 COLOMBIA
25 MovilRed, Vision for Mobile Payments
56 MADAGASCAR
57 Airtel, Airtel Money:
90 ZAMBIA
91 Airtel, Airtel Money:
Emergency Payments Tax Payments

12 BOTSWANA
13 Orange, Orange Money:
44 IRAQ
45 AsiaHawala, AsiaHawala:
70 NIGER
71 Airtel, Airtel Money: Bus Ticketing
Housing Lease Fee Payment 73 Orange, Orange Money: Payment
P2P MoneyTransfer
for Cooking Gas

16 BURUNDI
17 Econet Wireless, EcoCash:
28 OF
DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC
THE CONGO
48 KYRGYZSTAN
49 Kyrgyz Investment and
60 MALAWI
61 Airtel, Airtel Money:
76 RWANDA
77 Airtel, Airtel Money: Online Payments
94 ZIMBABWE
95 Econet Wireless, EcoCash Save
Payment to Coffee Farmers Credit Bank (KICB), Emergency Cash Transfer for Government Services
29 Airtel, Airtel Money: 97 Econet Wireless, EcoCash Debit Card
ELSOM: Coin Box
Salary Payments to Civil Servants
99 Econet Wireless, EcoCash Savings Club
31 Orange, Orange Money: 101 Econet Wireless, EcoCash Diaspora
Dual Currency Wallet

®
mobiquity Money: A Decade of Transforming Lives 01
10 years of mobiquity Money
JANUARY 2007
Comviva enhances the
mobiquity® Money offering.
The company develops it as a
comprehensive mobile money
platform, offering a wide range
of financial services.
2007
2006
MAY 2008
Barclays Bank PLC in
India deploys
DECEMBER 2006 mobiquity® Money
2008
mobiquity® Money
to launch Hello Money in
starts its journey from South Asia. the country. It is
mobiquity® Money’s first
Grameenphone and the Bangladesh Power
deployment in partnership
Department Board (PDB) launch the country’s with a bank.
first mobile-phone based payments service, BillPay.
Later, the service is extended to include airtime
recharge, utility payments (such as electricity, gas, DECEMBER 2008
water and the internet) and train ticketing. The service
mobiquity® Money
is rebranded GPAY in 2016. This is the very
enters Sub-Saharan
first mobiquity® Money deployment.
Africa, with Orange.
This marks the launch of its first
mobile money service, Orange Money
in Ivory Coast. It is West Africa’s first
mobile money service and is
mobiquity® Money’s first full-fledged
deployment with a cast service portfolio.
This includes cash-in, cash-out, money
transfer, bill payment and merchant
payment. In later years, Orange
subsidies in other emerging countries
also launch Orange Money.
JANUARY 2009
mobiquity® Money makes
its debut in Cambodia.
It powers Wing, Cambodia’s first
mobile money service.
2009
JULY 2009
After the successful
launch of Hello Money in
2009
India in 2008, Barclays
Bank PLC extends the
partnership with
mobiquity® Money to
11 countries in Africa.
Barclays Kenya launches Hello Money,
becoming the first African Bank to
adopt mobiquity® Money in Africa.
DECEMBER 2009
Banglalink launches
Bangladesh’s second mobile
money service - Mobile Cash.
This also extends Comviva’s
presence in the country.
® incumbent mobile money platform.
JANUARY 2010
mobiquity Money ®
enters the Middle East and
North Africa (MENA) region.
Maroc Telecom, Morocco in
collaboration with Attijariwafa Bank
launches MobiCash to offer money
transfers, bill payments and airtime
top-up. Maroc Telecom also launches
North Africa’s first mobile money-based
international remittance service.
Subsequently, the operator's
subsidies in Burkina Faso, Mali,
Mauritania and Gabon also
2010
launch the service.
FEBRUARY 2010
Western Union selects
Comviva for its mobile
vendor program.
This is aimed at increasing the
reach and accessibility of the
company's Money Transfer
services globally.
APRIL 2010
Banglalink, Bangladesh
partners with Eastern
Bank and Dhaka Bank to
launch South Asia’s first
mobile money-based
international remittance service.
In the same year, Grameenphone and
Banglalink partner with Bangladesh
Railway to launch the country’s
first mobile phone-based train
ticketing service.
FEBRUARY 2011
mobiquity® Money
enters Latin America.
The Millicom group launches
Tigo Money in three Central
2011
American countries. These
include Guatemala,
Honduras and El Salvador.
2012
SEPTEMBER 2012
Tigo Money, El Salvador
partners with Western Union to
launch Central America’s
first mobile money-based
international remittance service.
AUGUST 2012
Econet Wireless Zimbabwe
deploys mobiquity® Money
for its Ecocash Wallet. With this,
Pattern Matched Technologies’
Amethyst platform is replaced.
EcoCash is the first and largest service
mobile money service in Zimbabwe.
In September 2012, Econet Lesotho launches
EcoCash. Later in January 2012, Econet’s
third subsidiary, Econet Wireless Burundi,
replaces its incumbent mobile money
platform and deployed mobiquity® Money to
power the EcoCash service.
NOVEMBER 2012
Comviva partners with
Mastercard and Tutuka to open
closed-loop mobile money services.
As part of the collaboration, Comviva
creates mobiquity® Connect, a platform
that offers customers a physical prepaid
Mastercard and Virtual Card Number (VCN)
connected to their mobile money account.
These will enable customers to purchase
goods and services at millions of physical
and online retailers worldwide where
Mastercard is accepted as well as
cash-out at ATMs.
2013
FEBRUARY 2013
Comviva wins its first award
at the GSMA Global
Mobile Awards.
This award is won in the
'Best Consumer Mobile Service'
category for the mTicketing
service in Bangladesh.
MARCH 2013
GT&T Guyana launches the
country’s first mobile money
service, Mobile Money
Guyana (MMG).
GT&T is Comviva’s first
deployment in South America.
JULY 2013
Comviva begins its
partnership with Airtel.
Airtel Rwanda launches the Airtel Money
service. The services supported airtime
top-up, person-to-person transfers,
bill payments and fund transfers
between bank accounts and the
Airtel Money wallet.
SEPTEMBER 2013
Airtel Niger upgrades its
mobile money service,
Airtel Money. This is
executed by replacing the
incumbent mobile money
platform sourced from Pyro
with mobiquity® Money.
OCTOBER 2013
Econet Wireless Zimbabwe, in
partnership with Steward Bank,
launches the EcoCash Save
offering. This service is a
savings account linked to
the EcoCash wallet and was
accessible from the mobile
phone only. This is the first
mobile money-based savings
service supported by
mobiquity® Money.
Currently, EcoCash Save has more
than 1.5 million customers.
DECEMBER 2013
Roshan Afghanistan, which
offers the M-paisa service,
deploys mobiquity® Money.
This is executed to replace the
incumbent VMT platform.
FEBRUARY 2014
Airtel Ghana deploys
mobqiuity® Money
for Airtel Money.
This is aimed at
replacing its incumbent
2014
mobile money platform.
MARCH 2014
Airtel Tanzania, the
largest Airtel Money
operation in Africa,
deploys mobqiuity® Money.
This is executed to replace its
Subsequently, mobqiuity® Money
replaces the incumbent mobile money
platform at the operator's operations in
Malawi, Zambia, Madagascar, Gabon and
the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
MARCH 2014
Econet Wireless launches the
EcoCash mobile application.
This is the first mobile money
application provided by Comviva.
Subsequently, Comviva provides
applications to other mobile money
providers such as GT&T Guyana.
MARCH 2014
mobiquity® Money, in
collaboration with the Kyrgyz
Investment and Credit Bank
(KICB) in Kyrgyzstan,
launches the ELSOM wallet.
This launch also marks
mobiquity® Money’s foray into
Central Asia. This is the first bank-led
mobile money wallet in Central Asia.
APRIL 2014
Econet Wireless Zimbabwe,
in partnership with Steward
Bank, launches the EcoCash
Loans credit service.
This enables customers to execute
all services, from applying and
receiving loans to loan repayment,
via the mobile phone. This is the
first mobile money-based credit service
supported by mobiquity® Money.
JUNE 2014
Airtel Money Tanzania
enables Africa’s first
interoperability service with
Tigo Pesa and Zantel EzyPesa.
This enables customers to directly
send money to each other. Vodacom
M-pesa joins the interoperability
initiative in February 2016.
JULY 2014
Econet Wireless launches
Africa’s first Mastercard Debit
Card and Virtual Card linked
to mobile money (EcoCash).
It is the first deployment of Comviva’s
mobiquity® Connect platform. The Debit
Card allows customers to pay at over
37 million Mastercard merchant
point-of-sales and cash-out at
ATMs globally. The Virtual Card enables
customers to make online payments.
NOVEMBER 2014
Access Bank and Airtel Nigeria launch
Access Money. It is our first deployment
in Nigeria. Airtel Tanzania launches
micro-loan service, Timiza, which allows
Airtel Money customers to obtain loans
on their mobile phone. These loans are
repayable in 7 to 28 days. The loan
eligibility and amount depend upon the
customer’s mobile phone usage. Hence,
unbanked customers without any credit
history can obtain a loan.
mobiquity® Money: A Decade of Transforming Lives
2015
JANUARY 2015
Airtel Tanzania launches
Africa's first closed-loop
NFC service linked to
mobile money.
Dubbed Airtel Money “Tap Tap”, the
service provides merchants with a
low-cost, mini-calculator sized portable
NFC POS. This is a wireless GSM device
linked to a merchant’s Airtel Money wallet.
Customers are given a NFC Card linked
to their Airtel Money wallet. Customers
need to tap the NFC card on the NFC
POS to make the payment. The service
has won multiple awards.
JANUARY 2015
Somtel in Somaliland
launches mobile money
service, E-Dahab.
The service enables customers to
transfer money, pay bills, make
purchases and buy airtime.
MAY 2015
Econet Wireless Zimbabwe
launches the EcoCash
Savings Club.
The EcoCash Savings Club digitizes
traditional informal savings group known
as ‘mukando’ or ‘maround’. The service
is specially targeted at women and has
won multiple awards. This is the first
mobile money based Savings Club
service powered by mobiquity® Money.
MAY 2015
Airtel Seychelles launches the
country's first mobile money
service, Airtel Money.
AUGUST 2015
Timiza loans are extended
to Airtel Money agents.
Dubbed Timiza Wakala, the loans help
Airtel Money Agents to boost working
capital, buy float and increase their
mobile money strategy.
SEPTEMBER 2015
Airtel Tanzania starts
distributing the interest
accumulated on Airtel Money
trust accounts with
consumers and agents.
On its first payout day, Airtel Money
distributes TSH 5 billion. Tanzania is
the first country in Africa where operators
share profits with consumers.
OCTOBER 2015
Econet Wireless launches the
EcoCash Express Debit Card.
This is Africa’s first NFC Mastercard,
which permits customers to pay at
Mastercard NFC POS globally.
DECEMBER 2015
AsiaHawala launches Iraq's
first mobile money service.
The service offers consumers a
full range of integrated facilities,
including person-to-person transfers,
bill payments, merchant payments,
salary payment and recharge services.
JUNE 2016
mobiquity® Money enters
Europe, with Orange launching
Orange Money in France.
The service is targeted at the
un-banked African community in
France who want to send funds back
home. It is the first mobile money
service for the un-banked in Western
Europe. Later in the year, Orange
launches Orange Money in Romania.
SEPTEMBER 2016
2016
Airtel Ghana starts paying
interest to Airtel Money
consumers, based on
e-money float.
Ghana is the second country in
Africa where operators share
profits with consumers.
SEPTEMBER 2016
In Madagascar, Airtel Money,
Orange Money and mVola
collaborate to enable direct
cross-network money transfers.
Madagascar is the second African
country after Tanzania to roll-out
interoperable mobile money
services nationwide.
DECEMBER 2016
In 2016, Airtel Money Africa
reaches 9 million customers,
and crosses 1 billion transaction
volume and the $15 billion
transaction value milestone.
2016
02
2017
FEBRUARY 2017
Comviva wins its
second award at the
GSMA Global MobileAwards
in the 'Best Mobile Payment
Solution' category for EcoCash.
EcoCash reaches 6.7 million
registered customers,
equivalent to 52 per cent of
Zimbabwe's population.
From the launch until February 2017,
EcoCash has executed over 1 billion
transactions valuing $23 billion.
EcoCash's transaction value in a year
is equivalent to 53 per cent of the
country's gross domestic product.
EcoCash leads Zimbabwe's mobile
money market with 98.6 per cent
transaction value share.
JUNE2017
mobiquity® Money’s largest
group client, Orange Money,
crosses 10 million active
customers and 30 million
registered customers milestone.
With the latest deployments in Guinea
Bissau, Liberia and Democratic Republic
of the Congo, mobiquity® Money is
presentin 16 Orange Money operations.
JUNE2017
Orange Money in Egypt
integrates with the
National Switch.
This enables interoperability with other
mobile money services provided by mobile
operators and banks. Interoperability
applies to both person-to-person transfers
and merchant payments.
DECEMBER 2017
Airtel Chad and Airtel
Congo B replace the
incumbent mobile money
platform with
mobiquity® Money and
enhance their Airtel
Money service.
With these two deployments,
mobiquity® Money is now present in
13 out of 15 Airtel Money operations.
JANUARY 2018
Econet Wireless in Zimbabwe
launches EcoCash Investa.
This enables customers to purchase
u-Gain bond using the EcoCash wallet.
This is Africa’s second bond that can be
purchased using mobile money only.
2018
mobiquity® Money: A Decade of Transforming Lives 03 mobiquity® Money: A Decade of Transforming Lives 04

Mobile Money:The Journey So Far

Mobile money The industry Mobile money Registered accounts In Sub-Saharan

was available in 35 processed over providers processed surpassed Africa, there were
more than
two-thirds deployments
$22 billion half a billion over 277 million
of low-and-middle
had more than
in transactions 43 million registered accounts - more
income countries a million transactions per day than the total number
of bank accounts
90-day in the region
active accounts

2006-2016
Source: GSMA’s State of the Industry Report on Mobile Money
Decade Edition: 2006-2016, as of December 2016
mobiquity® Money: A Decade of Transforming Lives 05 mobiquity® Money: A Decade of Transforming Lives 06

Bangladesh, or the People’s Republic of Bangladesh, is a middle power

country in South Asia. The world’s eighth most populous country, its
population is diverse and ranges across several ethnic groups and
religions. It has been ranked as having one of the highest population
densities globally.

The government of Bangladesh has envisaged and chalked out the

Vision 2021 roadmap. This initiative entails bringing socio-economic
transformation through information and communication technology,
i.e. creation of a Digital Bangladesh. To this end, mobile operators
have invested heavily to bring in 3G services to 90 per cent of the
population. In addition, these services have been made more accessible
by the government with the integration of online service delivery and
use of e-government tools. Mobile financial services, in fact, is an
important pillar of this initiative. Mobile money is enhancing access to
financial services to the bottom of the pyramid. This is achieved by
enabling customers to enhance cash flows and save money. Additionally,
a gamut of services, ranging from bill payments to purchasing bus
tickets are being leveraged via mobile money. Net, net, this has
ensured not just streamlined and convenient service delivery but an
enhanced customer experience as well.

Despite a majority of payments still being made in cash, mobile financial

services are making their presence felt. According to the Bangladesh
Central Bank, as of July 2017, there were 17 banks providing these
services, along with three operators. These services are provided through
a network of 770,000 agents and there are 54 million registered users,
or 45 per cent of the adult population, half of these are active customers.
The average number of daily transactions was around 4.9 million with
a daily transaction value of BDT 7.5 billion (approximately $90 million).

BANGLADESH
mobiquity® Money: A Decade of Transforming Lives 07 mobiquity® Money: A Decade of Transforming Lives 08

Jiban Bima Corporation (JBC) partnered with Banglalink. This partnership

permitted more than 400,000 insurance policy holders to pay life
insurance premiums through the mobile money service, Mobile Cash.
Launched in 2011, this was South Asia's first life insurance premium
payment service linked to a mobile wallet.

Creating loyal customers and maximizing transparency, Banglalink

customers have the option of paying their Jiban Bima Corporation (JBC)
insurance premiums directly from their mobile money account. Easy and
affordable premium payments aided in broad-basing insurance uptake
in Bangladesh. Thousands of JBC premium payments are done every
year using mobile money.

BANGLALINK
MOBILE CASH
I N S U R A N C E
P R E M I U M
P A Y M E N T

Today, the gamut of mobile money services has expanded beyond simple transactions. The insurance
premium payment service, with Jiban Bima Corporation, is an example of this. The service enables customers
to make insurance premium payments conveniently and rapidly. Every year, thousands of insurance
policy premiums are being paid through mobile money. Such services are a small but sure step towards
fueling a cashless digital economy.

ASIF AHMED
Director, Mobile Financial Services
mobiquity® Money: A Decade of Transforming Lives 09 mobiquity® Money: A Decade of Transforming Lives 10

Grameenphone, along with other leading telecom operators in
Bangladesh, has partnered with Bangladesh Railway. This
partnership is aimed at permitting customers to purchase train
tickets using mobile money. Passengers can purchase train
tickets from their mobile phone.
Mobile ticketing is a convenient, transparent and effective way
to distribute tickets. Mobile ticketing is simple, reliable and
secure. It also saves times and cost, as customers do not
need to travel to the railway station to purchase tickets. The
average time to purchase a ticket reduces by 75 per cent,
compared to the manual process. Thousands of ticket are sold
every month using mobile money. Bangladesh Railway has
allocated 15 per cent of tickets to be sold via the mobile handset.

GRAMEENPHONE

GPAY
T R A I N
T I C K E T

Purchasing railway tickets has become quick, convenient and simple with the mobile ticketing service.
I N G

The average cost of obtaining a train ticket reduces by 84 per cent via this service, compared to doing it
manually. That's not all, the entire process is shortened significantly, compared to the average time of
an hour and 30 minutes. The scarcity issue, too, is eliminated, as the scope of black marketing activities
is completely mitigated.

RASHEDA SULTANA
Head, Mobile Financial Services
mobiquity® Money: A Decade of Transforming Lives 11 mobiquity® Money: A Decade of Transforming Lives 12

Botswana, or the Republic of Botswana, is a landlocked country

situated in Southern Africa. Its citizens refer to themselves as Batswana.
It has, over the years, maintained stable representative democracy with
a consistent record of uninterrupted democratic elections. A mid-sized
country of just over two million people, Botswana is one of the most sparsely
populated countries globally. Botswana has, over the years, transformed
itself into one of the world's fastest growing economies. Botswana boasts
a GDP (purchasing power parity) per capita of about $18,825 per year as
of 2015, which is one of the highest in Africa (as per the Central intelligence
Agency’s The World Factbook). Its high gross national income (by some
estimates the fourth largest in Africa) gives the country a modest standard
of living and the highest Human Development Index of continental
Sub-Saharan Africa (as per the Nations Online project).

When it comes to financial inclusion, Botswana presents an interesting

duality. On one hand, the issue of basic access in the country has been
largely resolved. Most customer segments have broad access to financial
services and a majority of adults use more than one product category
(such as insurance, loans, etc). On the other, access is still a challenge
for certain segments, with customers in rural, lower-income and remote
locations completely excluded. Various factors can be attributed to this,
such as absence of affordable services, lack of sufficient income, low
literacy levels, alternate credit instruments, etc. In this context, as per
the Making Access Possible Botswana programme, mobile money is
viewed as a viable medium to address these challenges. Improving
mobile money services is largely viewed as an important area to ensure
maximum impact of financial services. This can be achieved through
additional payments functionality; for example, store purchases, more
competitive fees, higher permitted values of transactions, interoperability
across networks, bank accounts and other payments mechanisms,
and extended agency networks with appropriate liquidity arrangements.
Other measures may include making cross-border remittances and
payments easier and cheaper through promoting interoperability and
extending the functionality of payment mechanisms to include
transfers and cash top-ups, etc.

BOTSWANA
mobiquity® Money: A Decade of Transforming Lives 13 mobiquity® Money: A Decade of Transforming Lives 14

Orange has partnered with the Tati Land Board to provide payment
services using Orange Money. Tati Land Board is a statutory body of
The Government of Botswana, with the responsibility of administering
land in the Tati Tribal Area.

The service allows citizens to pay their land lease from the convenience
of their homes. With Orange Money, barriers such as distance and
transport fees are eliminated and citizens are able to pay the lease in
a timely fashion. This helps the government collect revenues from the
lease in time and enables them to plan budgets more efficiently.

Orange Money is the largest mobile money service in Botswana with

with over 430,065 customers and a 68 per cent market share.

ORANGE
ORANGE MONEY
H O U S I N G
L E A S E
F E E
P A Y M E N T

Orange Money's lease fee payment service has contributed another dimension to Botswana’s mobile
payment space as well as Botswana’s drive for greater financial inclusion. The service offers customers
multiple benefits: notably greater convenience, simplicity and security. Orange Money anticipates continued
take-up from the public and aims to increase its partnership with government and private sectors in
the provision of simplified payment solutions.

SEABELO PILANE
Director, Orange Money
mobiquity® Money: A Decade of Transforming Lives 15 mobiquity® Money: A Decade of Transforming Lives 16

One of the smallest countries in Africa, Burundi is situated in East Africa.

Burundi remains an overwhelmingly rural society and the population
density of around 315 people per square kilometre (753 per sq mi) is
the second highest in Sub-Saharan Africa. The economy is predominantly
agricultural - which accounted for about 50 per cent of the gross
domestic product in 2017 (as per the European External Action Service).
This industry employs over 90 per cent of the population. The absence
of power infrastructure and production has been a hindrance for telecom
operators in the country in rolling out infrastructure aggressively. This
is owing to the increased operating expense which has adversely
impacted market penetration and availability of telecom services.

Nonetheless, mobile money made its debut in Burundi in 2015. However,

the country still has many miles to go before mobile money becomes a
central part of the economy - like in Zimbabwe or Kenya. Nevertheless,
unbanked customers are increasingly gaining access to financial
services. This, largely, has been achieved through digital channels
and emerging new sets of institutions, such as agent network managers,
payment aggregators, etc. Net, net, these players are playing a significant
role in building an all-inclusive and efficient digital finance ecosystem.

BURUNDI
mobiquity® Money: A Decade of Transforming Lives 17 mobiquity® Money: A Decade of Transforming Lives 18

Econet Wireless (Econet-Leo), Burundi has partnered with
African Fine Coffees Association to enable Burundian coffee
farmers to be directly paid for their produce via the EcoCash
mobile money service. In addition to payments, Econet Wireless
also provides messages related to farming practices. For
example, when to fertilize their coffee or how to negotiate better
with buyers. Coffee farming is important for Burundi's economy
as it involves over 800,000 households and accounts for
80 per cent of Burundi's export revenue. Adoption of m-agriculture
practices in coffee farming will boost the country's economy.
EcoCash is the leading mobile money service in Burundi and
currently the fastest growing mobile money in the region. In
the past 12 months, the number of customers using mobile money
(EcoCash) has grown from under 5 per cent to over 30 per cent
of Econet's 2.8 million customers. EcoCash business has
continued recorded double digit growth month to month, which
is attributed to growing ecosystem of agents, merchants, billers,
bulk/payroll partners, banking partners, remittances partners,
as well as innovation and aggressive marketing.

ECONET
WIRELESS
P A Y M E N T
T O
C O F F E E
F A R M E R S

EcoCash's latest initiative is a concrete step towards encouraging the adoption of m-agricultural practices.
In this case, by availing mobile money, coffee farmers stand to gain on two counts. Not only will they
no longer have to wait endlessly to get paid, but they can keep pace with the latest technological
developments in their field. Once they have their payments on the EcoCash wallet, farmers in Burundi
will no longer need cash-out to purchase farm input like fertilizers since merchants/traders will accept
EcoCash payments. This development does not only eliminate the risks associated with cash but also
reduces the need for the customer to travel from rural homes to purchase inputs.

JAPHET ARITHO
Chief Business Development Officer, Cassava
mobiquity® Money: A Decade of Transforming Lives 19 mobiquity® Money: A Decade of Transforming Lives 20

Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon, is a country in Central

Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west; Chad to the northeast; the
Central African Republic to the east; and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon
and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the south. The country is
often referred to as ‘Africa in miniature’ for its geological and cultural
diversity. Cameroon’s official languages are French and English. The
country has a relatively high level of political and social stability. This
has permitted the development of agriculture, roads, railways and large
petroleum and timber industries. In fact, a significant number of
Cameroonians are subsistence farmers. The information and
communication technology (ICT) sector contributes 3.5 per cent to the
country’s gross domestic product, as per news reports. Needless to
say, the sector needs to undergo a significant degree of development for
the country to leverage the digital economy. To this end, the
government has chalked out the Cameroon Digital 2020 program.
This is aimed at improving connectivity nationally. A large number of
small ICT projects form a part of the overall program. The country’s
telecommunications space was dominated by two operators for a
significant period of time. This changed in late 2014, with the introduction
of not just a third operator but the country’s first 3G service as well.
Thereafter, mobile long-term evolution-based broadband was established
in end 2015. This provided a major impetus to the country’s mobile
broadband sector.

Facilitated by the progress made by the ICT sector, the mobile money
space in the country is expanding rapidly. According to data released
by the Telecommunications Regulatory Agency, financial transactions
via this medium reached 870 billion CFA Francs in 2016. The value
of transactions between 2014 and 2016 increased from 200 billion
CFA Francs to 870 billion CFA Francs. Net, net, mobile money is
becoming the preferred way to send, save and store money in Cameroon.

CAMEROON
mobiquity® Money: A Decade of Transforming Lives 21 mobiquity® Money: A Decade of Transforming Lives 22

In Cameroon, electricity company Eneo has partnered with
Orange Money, enabling consumers to pay electricity bills with
ease and convenience. Customers save time and money as
they can make the payments from their mobile phones. The
service has seen wide adoption particularly in North Cameroon
where the electricity company’s bill payment points are very
far off and require consumers to spend huge amounts of money
in traveling to the points.
Over 50,000 customers pay their electricity bills through Orange
Money. More than 200,000 electricity bills are paid every year
using Orange Money. Electricity bill payments valuing FCFA
8 billion ($15.2 million) are processes annually by Orange Money.
The bill payment confirmation is provided via SMS. By reducing
the use of paper receipts in bill payments, Orange Money is
helping to reduce country’s carbon footprint.

ORANGE
ORANGE MONEY
E L E C T R I C I T Y
P A Y M E N T S

Cameroon is an interesting example of how mobile payment has permeated every aspect of everyday
life. The electricity bill payment facility, for example, has widened the customer's horizons significantly.
Customers no longer have to spend hours traveling to the nearest bill payment point which, ironically,
often proved to be more expensive than the bill itself! The service has leveraged the ubiquitous nature
of mobile technology to execute an everyday task with convenience and simplicity.

MAMADOU LAMINE TRAORE

Director, Orange Money
mobiquity® Money: A Decade of Transforming Lives 23 mobiquity® Money: A Decade of Transforming Lives 24

Colombia, or the Republic of Colombia, is a middle power and a regional

player, with the fourth largest economy in Latin America. With an
estimated 49 million people in 2017, Colombia is the third most populous
country in Latin America, after Brazil and Mexico. Colombia also has
the third largest Spanish speaking population in the world, after Mexico
and the US. Demographically, it is a youthful country, with less than
10 per cent of the population aged over 65 and very literate at 95 per cent.
The country had a GDP per capita that was about 25 per cent below
the Latin American average as of 2015 and an unemployment rate well
above the regional average. In recent years, Colombia has recorded
an enviable economic performance, with growth well above the
regional average since 2011. The country has also avoided recession
despite a slowdown in commodities exports. The country is also
considered the second most business-friendly country in Latin
America, slightly behind Mexico.

For several years, the mobile money industry in Colombia hasn’t been
able to catch up on the global stage. While low rates of financial inclusion,
coupled with a rapidly increasing penetration of mobile technology,
have presented ample growth opportunities, it has been a challenge
for operators. This is largely owing to the heavy and continued investment
for several years before achieving scale and maturity.

Consequently, ensuring financial inclusion, especially in rural areas,

is a significant challenge in Colombia. So much so that, as per industry
estimates, the ‘bankarization rate’, or the proportion of adults having
access to at least one financial product, is lower than in neighboring
countries, Brazil and Chile. This is largely owing to the unequal distribution
of income and rampant poverty. To counter this, the government has
been following several initiatives to promote financial inclusion. Its
efforts were recognised in a 2015 report by the Economist Intelligence
Unit, which ranked 55 countries around the world according to the
degree of support for financial inclusion. Colombia was ranked second
overall, behind Peru and ahead of Chile (sixth) and Bolivia and
Mexico (joint eighth).

COLOMBIA
mobiquity® Money: A Decade of Transforming Lives 25 mobiquity® Money: A Decade of Transforming Lives 26

MovilRed plans to launch an all inclusive mobile money service in Colombia.

This is expected to provide convenient payments to tech-savvy youth
as well as basic financial services to empower financially excluded
people at the base of the pyramid.

MovilRed will provide a stable, simple and modern platform that will
support multiple payments services. These will broadly range from
person-to-person transfers, international remittances and salary payments
to airtime top-up, bill payments, online payments and merchant payments
at point-of-sales. The service will incentivize users to accelerate activities
pertaining to digital payments.

MOVILRED
V I S I O N
F O R
M O B I L E
P A Y M E N T S

Mobile money is rapidly making its way across Latin America and the Caribbean. As of December 2016,
there were 23 million registered mobile money accounts in the region. Colombia is an interesting
example - the market is diverse, with 39 per cent banked adults many of whom are millennials who
want convenient financial transactions. Meanwhile, 61 per cent are unbanked adults who are financially
excluded and demand basic financial services. MovilRed is all set to tap this opportunity in order to
deepen financial inclusion and bring financial services to the masses.

HERNANDO RUBIO DACOSTA

Chief Executive Officer
mobiquity® Money: A Decade of Transforming Lives 27 mobiquity® Money: A Decade of Transforming Lives 28

The Democratic Republic of the Congo, also known as Zaire, DR Congo,

East Congo, DRC, DROC, Congo-Kinshasa, or simply the Congo, is
located in Central Africa. It is the second largest country in Africa by area
and the eleventh largest in the world. Today, the Democratic Republic
of the Congo is the most populated officially Francophone country. It is
also the fourth most populated nation in Africa and the seventeenth most
populated country in the world. The country’s government functions as
a presidential democratic republic. The Central Bank of the Congo is
responsible for developing and maintaining the Congolese Franc, which
serves as the primary form of currency in the Democratic Republic of
the Congo. The DR Congo is widely considered to be one of the world's
richest countries in natural resources; its untapped deposits of raw
minerals are estimated to be worth in excess of $24 trillion.
The DRC provides a challenging environment for the financial services
sector. According to the Making Access Possible: The Democratic
Republic of the Congo Financial Inclusion Country Report 2016, owing to
a prolonged history of conflict, the financial services sector saw negligible
growth. As a result, a whole generation of customers had no access to
the same which, in turn, bred mistrust and lack of comprehension of these
services. An average customer’s financial needs are paying for everyday
goods and services, the need for liquid assets and the need to manage
risk and human capital. Moreover, a peculiar feature of the country’s
economy is the high use of international currencies. In addition to the
national currency, Congolese Franc, the country is highly dollarized
and US dollars are accepted widely.
On their part, financial institutions face the significant challenge of
catering to a broad customer base. While the sector has registered
growth, challenges such as difficult topography,
coupled with large gaps pertaining to transport and
communications infrastructure compound the situation.
As a result, large chunks of the population is all but
cut-off from formal financial services. However,
interestingly, services such as payments and savings
accounts have managed to make inroads, but credit and
insurance markets are all but non-existent. Thus, customers
largely rely on multiple informal mechanisms. These range
from savings clubs to money lenders to risk-pooling groups.
To counter this situation, the government and central
bank have launched several initiatives - most notably, the
bankarization programme. This entails paying civil servants
via alternate systems such as mobile money. Other initiatives
include providing development credit to micro or medium
sized enterprises and educating the customer about
these services.

DEMOCRATIC
REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO
mobiquity® Money: A Decade of Transforming Lives 29 mobiquity® Money: A Decade of Transforming Lives 30

Airtel Money and the government of the Democratic Republic
of the Congo collaborated to disburse salaries to civil servants.
In December 2012, they initiated the service by providing
salaries to more than 1,100 policemen via Airtel Money. Soon
after, they extended the service to other civil servants. In May
2013, about 66,000 civil servants including the military, the
police force, teachers and pensioners received their salary
via Airtel Money.
The salaries are directly credited to the Airtel Money wallet,
enabling the recipient to securely save their salaries in the
wallet or use it for transactions.
The recipients save time and reduce risk, while directing their
energies towards more productive activities. Digitizing salary
payments reduces the expenses pertaining to handling cash
and makes salary distribution efficient and transparent.

AIRTEL
AIRTEL MONEY
S A L A R Y
P A Y M E N T S
T O
C I V I L
S E R V A N T S

Airtel Money is paving the way for a new era of financial transactions in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Traditionally a country with limited banking facilities, the service has enhanced the scope and possibility
of banking the unbanked. Seamless and large scale salary payments have been made possible and the
customer no longer has to wait endlessly at banking halls. Besides, the service also clearly indicates
the potential mobile money has to make G2P payments safe, secure and convenient.

BAHIZIRE CHIRRIMWAMI,
DOUDOU CHARLES
Director, Airtel Money
mobiquity® Money: A Decade of Transforming Lives 31 mobiquity® Money: A Decade of Transforming Lives 32

Congolese people use both the Congolese Franc and the US
Dollar for everyday transactions. Regarding mobile money, the
Congolese Franc is mainly used for most of the transactions
while the US Dollar is usually used for bill payments, such
as television subscriptions.
Inspired by the country's dual currency usage, Orange Money
supports both. By digitizing dollar-based transactions, Orange
money is trying to address the shortage.

ORANGE
ORANGE MONEY
D U A L
C U R R E N C Y
W A L L E T

Orange Money was quick to recognize the unparalled potential of mobile money to bank the unbanked.
On these lines, the mobile money service offers customers a practical, secure, simple and fast method
to execute daily transactions in the currency of their choice. Not only does this ensure customer engagement,
it is a concrete step towards enhancing financial inclusion in the Democratic Republic of the Congo as well.

YOUSSOUPHA SALL
Director, Orange Money
mobiquity® Money: A Decade of Transforming Lives 33 mobiquity® Money: A Decade of Transforming Lives 34

Gabon, or the Gabonese Republic, is a sovereign state on the west

coast of Central Africa. Abundant petroleum and foreign private
investment have helped make Gabon one of the most prosperous
countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, with the fourth highest human
development index (as per the United Nations Development Program).
It also has the third highest gross domestic product per capita (PPP)
after Equatorial Guinea and Botswana in the region. Its political structure
is based on a presidential form of government. Gabon’s economy is
dominated by oil. Oil revenues comprise roughly 46 per cent of the
government's budget, 43 per cent of the gross domestic product
(GDP), and 81 per cent of exports. The country has a population
of approximately 2 million, as per the United Nations Department of
Economic and Social Affairs. Gabon has one of the lowest population
densities of any country in Africa and the fourth highest Human Development
Index in Sub-Saharan Africa. The country also has over forty ethnic
groups, with varied languages and cultures.

As per industry estimates, half of the adult population in Gabon carries

out financial transactions on their mobile handsets. In particular, money
transfer services are increasingly gaining importance in this space.
This is assumed to be making up for the absence of traditional banking
institutions in the country. In fact, contact-less mobile payments, too,
have caught on in this space. This medium simplifies transactions,
for example, by enabling users to make purchases, deposits and
withdrawals by swiping their phone to an e-kiosk. All in all, the digital
financial services space is witnessing steady progress.

GABON
mobiquity® Money: A Decade of Transforming Lives 35 mobiquity® Money: A Decade of Transforming Lives 36

The Gabonese people's passion for television has ensured
that every family owns a set. A nation of just over 1.7 million
people enjoy access to a wide catalogue of both national and
international channels. Airtel in Gabon has made watching
television easier by digitizing subscription payments.
Customers can now make payments for Canal+ satellite television
the Airtel Money menu, select Canal+ in the bill payment section
and furnish details to complete the transaction.
More than 140,000 payment transactions are executed for Canal+
via Airtel Money every year. Airtel Money is Gabon's first mobile
money service with more than 680,000 registered subscribers.

AIRTEL
subscriptions via Airtel Money. Customers are required to access

AIRTEL MONEY
T V
S U B S C R I P T I O N
P A Y M E N T

Gabonese are avid television viewers who ensure that they never miss their favourite shows or a crucial
game. Keeping this in mind, we simplified the process of renewing one's Canal+ subscription via Airtel
Money. A testament to how well it has performed is the fact that it is one of the top three bill payment
services in the Airtel Money portfolio.

PASCAL N'NAH OYONO

Director, Airtel Money
mobiquity® Money: A Decade of Transforming Lives 37 mobiquity® Money: A Decade of Transforming Lives 38

Guyana, officially the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, is a sovereign

state on the northern mainland of South America. Guyana is the
fourth-smallest country on mainland South America after Uruguay,
Suriname and French Guiana (an overseas region of France). The
country’s political framework is based on a presidential representative
democratic republic. Agriculture, bauxite and gold mining, timber,
shrimp fishing and minerals are the mainstays of the country’s economy.

The use of financial services in Guyana is limited, partly owing to

the nascent development of the country’s national payment system.
Thus, the economy is heavily cash based and accounts are rarely
used. Nearly all payments by individuals and small entities continue
to be conducted in person in cash. Available electronic payment
services lack the interoperability which enable such services to be
viable and cost effective. In addition, physical access to points of
service for electronic transactions is sparse. Remote access to
electronic transaction services, such as e-money services and bank
account transactions, is also limited. Nonetheless, steps are being
taken to counter this situation.

In 2017, a $6 million loan agreement was signed with The World Bank
for the implementation of a National Payment system. This is expected
to help the government save as much as $266 million annually or 0.4
per cent of the country’s gross domestic product and move the country
away from its heavy cash-based payment mechanism.

GUYANA
mobiquity® Money: A Decade of Transforming Lives 39 mobiquity® Money: A Decade of Transforming Lives 40

The Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) partnered with Mobile Money

Guyana (MMG) to collect tax and license payments via mobile money.
MMG is a subsidiary of the leading telecom provider Guyana Telephone
and Telegraph (GT&T). Using mobile money, Guyana's citizens can pay
electronically for eight different type of taxes and license fees. Taxpayers
who utilize the MMG service are assured that their payments will be
cleared, processed and credited to the GRA's bank account within
24 hours, provided that the transaction was done correctly. MMG allows
customers to make tax payments quickly and with ease from the
convenience of their homes, saving time and cost.

GUYANA TELEPHONE
AND TELEGRAPH
MOBILE MONEY GUYANA
T A X
P A Y M E N T S

The Mobile Money Guyana's initiative has certainly streamlined and simplified the process of paying
tax! Customers can now avail of a speedy and accurate method of paying taxes without having to stand
in lines endlessly. Most importantly, perhaps, the process is secure, which completely eliminates the
risk of fraud.

TRACEY SMITH
Head, GT&T Mobile Money (MMG)
mobiquity® Money: A Decade of Transforming Lives 41 mobiquity® Money: A Decade of Transforming Lives 42
mobiquity® Money: A Decade of Transforming Lives 43 mobiquity® Money: A Decade of Transforming Lives 44

Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in Western Asia. The

capital and the largest city is Bagdad and the country comprises of
multiple ethnic groups. Iraq is a founding member of the United Nations,
as well as of the Arab League, OIC, Non-Aligned Movement and the
IMF. It is a federal parliamentary republic .

Owing to the country’s checkered history, the country’s telecommunications

industry has proved to be quite challenging for telecom operators. The
three mobile network operators which hold national licences are Zain
Iraq, Asiacell and Korek Telecom. The economy, combined with a decrease
in consumer spending and limited telecoms infrastructure, has resulted
in declining mobile subscriber rates and revenues. However, there is
high international interest in the Iraqi market, with its economy expected
to obtain a fillip through its large oil and natural gas reserves. Iraq Likewise, the reach and scope of digital payments, too, has
offers much potential for telecom infrastructure development, with been limited. Iraq largely remains a cash-based society,
many underserved areas requiring better coverage. There will also with a large unbanked population. As per industry reports,
be opportunities in developing both 3G and 4G deployment. In fact, only 11 per cent of adults hold an account at a formal
prior to the current scenario, 4G LTE had been deployed in select financial institution. This has been attributed to inaccessibility,
areas and there was also a progressive fibre optic network underway inefficiency and unaffordability, as well as distrust towards
across parts of the country. traditional financial services.

IRAQ
mobiquity® Money: A Decade of Transforming Lives 45 mobiquity® Money: A Decade of Transforming Lives 46

Years of war has restricted the growth of financial services in
Iraq. AsiaHawala is changing this picture. Iraq's first mobile
money service is transforming the financial landscape in Iraq
by facilitating ‘remote payments’ using mobile phones for
unbanked Iraqis. By enabling a wide range of payment activities
like money transfers, bill payments, merchant payments and
salary disbursements, AsiaHawala is not only enhancing financial
inclusion in the country, but has also provided employment
opportunities to small merchants by making them their agents,
thus contributing to the GDP of Iraq. The transfer service can
be used by all, irrespective of whether they have registered
for the AsiaHawala service or not. Non-AsiaHawala Wallet
holders can send money to wallet holders or non-wallet holders
using the recipient's Iraqi ID via AsiaHawala agents. AsiaHawala
offers three types of wallets, customizing the service for different
users. Customers can instantly obtain a Lite Wallet via mobile and
with incomplete KYC. A Lite Wallet is active for three months and
has to be converted to a Standard wallet after this period. To obtain
a Standard Wallet, customers have to visit an AsiaHawala agent
and complete the KYC process. The Standard Wallet has a
transaction threshold limit five times that of the Lite Wallet.
Employers, merchants, dealers, high earners and VIPs - very
important people - can opt for the Premium Wallet. The threshold
for this type of wallet will be defined on a case-to-case basis.

ASIAHAWALA
ASIAHAWALA
P E R S O N
T O
P E R S O N
M O N E Y
T R A N S F E R

AsiaHawala is committed to the vision of enhancing financial inclusion in Iraq. By leveraging the near
ubiquitous penetration of mobile phones, we are providing ordinary citizens with mobile commerce facilities
from the comfort of their homes. We will continue to provide superior and innovative services to the
people of Iraq.

ZRING FARUK
Chief Executive Officer
mobiquity® Money: A Decade of Transforming Lives 47 mobiquity® Money: A Decade of Transforming Lives 48

Kyrgyzstan, or the Kyrgyz Republic, is a sovereign state in Central Asia. It

attained sovereignty as a nation-state only after the breakup of the
Soviet Union, in 1991. Kyrgyz is closely related to other Turkic languages,
although Russian remains widely spoken and is an official language. With
regard to telecommunication infrastructure, Kyrgyz Republic ranked 95
in 2016, up from 105 in 2007, in the World Economic Forum's Network
Readiness Index (NRI) – an indicator for determining the development
level of a country’s information and communication technologies.

It is, thus, unsurprising, that universal access to financial services has

been limited, owing to a number of factors. The limited capacity and
scale of the financial sector is paramount, followed by the preference of
financial institutions for urban centers. This, in turn, creates a rural/urban
imbalance, which is compounded by challenging topography. Nonetheless, this
is slowly but steadily undergoing a paradigm shift. Significant improvements
in mobile phone and card payment technology are resulting in new and
innovative business models that deliver financial services to the previously
uncovered population.

KYRGYZSTAN
mobiquity® Money: A Decade of Transforming Lives 49 mobiquity® Money: A Decade of Transforming Lives 50

ELSOM, a mobile wallet provided by the Kyrgyz Investment This service mobilizes micro-savings, motivating the unbanked
and Credit Bank (KICB), not only enables customers to transfer population to save money formally in mobile wallets and earn
money and make payments, but also allows them to save bonuses, rather than stacking cash at home which earns
money and earn bonuses. them no interest.

ELSOM COINBOX: To earn a bonus, ELSOM customers just need
to maintain a minimum balance of 200 KGS ($3). Customers
receive 10 per cent bonus per annum for a balance above
200 KGS ($3) to 50,000 KGS ($729) and 5 per cent bonus
per annum for a balance above 50,000 KGS ($729) up to
800,000 KGS ($11,696).
KICB is the first bank in Central Asia to provide a mobile money
service. Over 340,000 users have created ELSOM mobile
money wallets, reflecting a growing interest in digital payment
services. There are more than 3,800 agents providing ELSOM
services throughout the country.

KYRGYZ INVESTMENT AND

CREDIT BANK (KICB)

ELSOM
C O I N
B
By offering a bonus, we are rewarding our customers who have adopted ELSOM mobile wallet and
O

supporting our efforts to make Kyrgyzstan a cash-light economy. We have made the service hassle-free
with no registration required, so that maximum users can benefit from it. We put customers first and
launch services that are relevant and rewarding.
X

ALDAYAROV NURLAN NURKULOVICH

Management Member
mobiquity® Money: A Decade of Transforming Lives 51 mobiquity® Money: A Decade of Transforming Lives 52

Lesotho, or the Kingdom of Lesotho, is a landlocked country in Southern

Africa, completely surrounded by South Africa. Lesotho's ethno-linguistic
structure consists almost entirely of the Basotho, a Bantu-speaking people.
Interestingly, an estimated 99.7 per cent of the people identify as Basotho.
With the absence of alternative ICT infrastructure, the mobile handset has
played a significant role in boosting economic development. In addition, the
mobile handset has served as a platform for socio-economic development,
bringing in a range of services in areas such as banking, healthcare and
education to customers.

However, access to formal and semi-formal financial services in the

country is very limited, especially for the low-income and rural population.
As per industry reports, a mere 13 per cent of urban adults and 7 per cent
of rural adults have access to credit services from formal banks. Moreover,
limited accessibility and exorbitant prices of banking products further
compound this challenge. With this in mind, increasing access to finance
has been prioritized to ensure inclusive economic growth. As a result,
mobile money is being leveraged to scale up formal and semi-formal
financial services for the low-income and rural population. Mobile money
is being used as a channel to purchase prepaid electricity units and pay for
various services, such as school fees, bills, insurance premiums, etc.
Moreover, leveraging the facility also significantly reduces the costs of
transferring money compared to traditional forms of money transfer.

LESOTHO
mobiquity® Money: A Decade of Transforming Lives 53 mobiquity® Money: A Decade of Transforming Lives 54

Lesotho has a strong social structure and its people believe in providing
decent burials to the deceased. This practice has resulted in a high
number of funeral schemes and insurance services in the country.
Econet allows its customers to pay for funeral schemes and insurance
premiums using EcoCash, the first mobile money service in Lesotho.
Customers can make payment for various companies such as Lesotho
Funeral Service, Alliance Insurance and Metropolitan.

ECONET
TELECOM
P A Y M E N T
F O R
F U N E R A L
S C H E M E S
In an attempt to conform to Lesotho's grand funeral-related customs and traditions, Econet has leveraged
its mobile money service to the fullest. The EcoCash mobile money service provides customers with a
convenient, simple and secure method of making payments as well as enabling insurance companies
to quickly and efficiently collect insurance premiums.

JAPHET ARITHO
Chief Business Development Officer, Cassava
mobiquity® Money: A Decade of Transforming Lives 55 mobiquity® Money: A Decade of Transforming Lives 56

Madagascar, officially the Republic of Madagascar, previously known

as the Malagasy Republic, is an island country in the Indian Ocean, off
the coast of East Africa. The nation comprises the island of Madagascar
(the fourth-largest island in the world), and numerous smaller peripheral
islands. Currently, the Malagasy ethnic group is often divided into 18
or more sub-groups of which the largest are the Merina of the central
highlands. Madagascar is a semi-presidential representative democratic
multi-party republic. Malagasy and French are both official languages
of the state. Moreover, eco-tourism and agriculture, paired with great
investments in education, health, and private enterprises, are key
elements of Madagascar's development strategy. Madagascar is a
member of the United Nations, the African Union (AU), the Southern
African Development Community (SADC), and the Organisation
Internationale de la Francophonie.

For a country like Madagascar, which has a low population density,

limited infrastructure and a large portion of the population living in
rural areas, the impact of mobile money to enhance financial inclusion
cannot be understated. In fact, significant progress has already been
made on this front. Madagascar is the second country in Africa, after
Tanzania, to launch interoperable mobile money services. In 2016,
the three mobile money providers in the country, Airtel Money, Orange
Money and mVola, joined hands to introduce this service across the
country. This is expected to provide an impetus to the mobile industry’s
commitment to delivering life-enhancing financial services to consumers.
Moreover, enhanced financial inclusion will help empower the underserved
and drive economic growth across the country. In fact, as per GSMA,
Madagascar has more mobile money accounts than bank accounts.
This is why mobile money is preferred for services such
as providing aid, etc. Traditional ‘bricks-and-mortar’
banking infrastructure tends to be far from poorer
communities; therefore, interoperable money services
are expected to deliver significant long-term benefits to
citizens, extending the range of digital financial services
provided and ultimately serving as a safer and more
reliable replacement for cash as a means of payment
in day-to-day transactions.

MADAGASCAR
mobiquity® Money: A Decade of Transforming Lives 57 mobiquity® Money: A Decade of Transforming Lives 58

The severe drought afflicting Southern Madagascar brought
thousands of people to the verge of a food security catastrophe.
These drastic times required innovative technological solutions to
quickly help the victims. Faithful to its value of solidarity, Airtel
Madagascar contributed to lessen the impact of drought in Southern
Madagascar by disbursing financial aid through Airtel Money.
In December 2016, more than 70,000 people affected by a
was distributed to the most vulnerable people over a short period
of time. This convergent action between the Madagascar’s
leading mobile operator and its partners alleviated the impact
of the drought on South Antanimora’s economy and allowed
its population to access basic food.
Vahonie, a native from Ambovombe, mother of three, received
financial support from Airtel Money and used the money to buy food

AIRTEL
drought in South Antanimora, in the Anosy region, received for her children. Thousands of families in the region are benefiting
financial support from donors via Airtel Money, the innovative from the financial assistance distributed through Airtel Money.
mobile money solution provided by Airtel. More than $3 million

AIRTEL MONEY
E M E R G E N C Y
P A Y M E N T S
It wouldn’t be an understatement to say that the true potential of mobile money comes to the fore while
alleviating crisis situations. Airtel Money proved this by streamlining the delivery of aid to affected populations in
Southern Madagascar. The solution quickly and efficiently disbursed funds directly to the victims. Rather
than having to pay people to physically transport cash or vouchers, the amount is transferred electronically
in a matter of minutes, thereby reducing distribution costs and opportunities for corruption. Moreover,
by using mobile money, the overall process is shortened significantly, compared to physical cash or
paper vouchers. Truly a game changer, mobile money!

DINA MALLET
Director, Airtel Money
mobiquity® Money: A Decade of Transforming Lives 59 mobiquity® Money: A Decade of Transforming Lives 60

Popularly known as ‘The Warm Heart of Africa’, Malawi is a landlocked

country in southeast Africa. Lake Malawi constitutes a third of Malawian
territory. It is amongst the smallest countries in Africa. Malawi has a largely
rural population and its economy is heavily dependent on agriculture.
More than a third of its gross domestic product, and 90 per cent of export
revenues, is obtained from this source.

Mobile money has made significant strides in the country. The Reserve
Bank of Malawi, in its May 2017 payment systems report, stated that
mobile network operator led payment products have grown much faster
than conventional banking facilities. Moreover, the number of mobile
money agents in the country was higher than all other access points
combined. For the period under consideration (90 days), the bank said
the number of subscribers for MNO-led payment schemes increased
by 1 per cent to reach 3.9 million. This success can be attributed to
several factors. As per industry data, 55 per cent of Malawians do
not have access to any form of financial institution and only 19 per cent
of the total population have formal bank accounts. Since bank accounts
are so scarce, mobile money offers an accessible alternative for safely
depositing, withdrawing, transferring and even saving money. Apart from
bank accounts being scarce, most locals find it very difficult to open
a formal bank account. This is owing to the long-drawn processes
entailed in the same. Opening a mobile money account entails no
such challenges, as little or no paperwork and authentication is
required. This is especially beneficial for small business owners, as
their money is stored and saved securely without their having to
undergo any tedious processes.

MALAWI
mobiquity® Money: A Decade of Transforming Lives 61 mobiquity® Money: A Decade of Transforming Lives 62

Over 2 million Malawians face food shortage due to droughts
and erratic rains that destroy crops. The INGO consortium, in
collaboration with Airtel Malawi, is running an emergency social
cash transfer program. This aims to mitigate the famine being
faced by millions of people. Under the program, the INGO
consortium is providing financial aid to hunger-stricken households
In 2016, they disbursed more than MWK 40 billion ($54.2 million),
enabling 250,000 Malawians to buy food and meet their
nutritional requirements. By transferring funds monthly to the
beneficiaries, cash transfers not only meet the immediate needs of
households but also enable people to spend money and make
purchases, simultaneously injecting growth into local economies.

AIRTEL
in Malawi via the Airtel Money service.

AIRTEL MONEY
E M E R G E N C Y
C A S H
T R A N S F E R

For drought -stricken countries like Malawi, services that offer unconditional cash transfers to vulnerable
households are particularly significant. The INGO consortium and Airtel Malawi joint collaboration is such
an example. The social cash transfer service is a part of a nationwide response to food insecurity. It fuels
an increasing number of economic transactions in the rural areas which itself has multiple benefits,
such as rural development and increased employment opportunities. What’s more, the initiative isn't
intended to create dependency, but a self-reliant spirit.

CHRIS SUKASUKA
Director, Airtel Money
mobiquity® Money: A Decade of Transforming Lives 63 mobiquity® Money: A Decade of Transforming Lives 64
mobiquity® Money: A Decade of Transforming Lives 65 mobiquity® Money: A Decade of Transforming Lives 66

The eighth largest country in Africa, Mali, or the Democratic Republic

of Mali, is situated in West Africa. The governmental system can be
described as semi-presidential. The Central Bank of West African States
handles the country’s financial affairs and additional members of the
Economic Community of West African States. The country's economy
centers on agriculture and fishing. Mali is a major recipient of foreign
aid from many sources, including multilateral organizations (most
significantly the World Bank, African Development Bank, and Arab
Funds) and bilateral programs funded by the European Union, France,
United States, Canada, The Netherlands and Germany. In all, the country’s
economic performance is fragile, characterized by a vulnerability
to climatic conditions, fluctuating terms of trade and dependence on to be far more reliable and efficient than manual systems.
ports in neighboring countries. However, an overall lack of infrastructure, which limits
the potential of such services, is a major challenge. An
In Mali, digital financial services appear to be on the verge of significant inclusive environment for digital payments in the country
growth - as per industry estimates. This is, primarily, driven by the will ensure a reduction in costs and risks, reinforce
increased demand for innovative methods to transfer money, pay bills transparency and promote financial inclusion, particularly
and disburse salaries. For example, the introduction of electronic delivery among women. In fact, the financial gender gap in the

MALI
mechanisms for cash transfers can enable greater scale and speed country is significant, to say the least. To illustrate, only
of response, improve monitoring and increase accountability while 15 per cent of women are financially included, compared
reducing corruption and diversion. Therefore, e-payments can prove to 26 per cent of men (The World Bank Findex).
mobiquity® Money: A Decade of Transforming Lives 67 mobiquity® Money: A Decade of Transforming Lives 68

Mali has a maternal mortality rate of 587 per 100,000 live
births, one of the highest in the world. In order to make
pregnancy and delivery safer, Orange Money in Mali partnered
with the NGO ‘Population Service International’ (PSI) and NSIA,
an insurance company, to launch a linked savings and
insurance product targeted at pregnant women. Orange
Money users can open a mobile savings account and can save
money anytime with a minimum deposit of XOF 100 (~16 cents).
When the savings balance reaches XOF 40,000 (~$44), the user
automatically gets enrolled in a twelve month life/disability and
maternal health insurance program. Patients who do not
attend prenatal consultations only get 75 per cent benefit. This
encourages women to seek prenatal care.
As per GSMA, Sini Tonon is encouraging customers to save.
55 per cent of women did not save before using Sini Tonon.
Tini Nogoya helped many people get insured for the first time.
97 per cent of female users have never been insured before.
The insurance product is appealing to customers. Over 30 per cent
of Sini Tonon users reported using it because it allowed them
to be covered by insurance under Tin Nogoya. 24 per cent of
Orange Money users in Mali are saving and using Sini Tonon
regularly, while 4 per cent are insured by Tin Nogoya.

ORANGE
ORANGE MONEY
S I N I
T O N O N
A N D
T I N
N O G O Y A
Mali proved to be an interesting case study for two reasons - first, mobile money customers leaned
towards using their mobile money accounts as cash storage instruments. Second, there is a marked
absence of insurance products, and their fertility and maternal mortality rates are amongst the highest
in the world. These facts together provided Orange Money with a lucrative opportunity to launch two
intertwined savings and insurance products for Malian women. Both products have helped encourage
Malian women to save and gain access to micro insurance. Over half of the women using the Sini
Tonon offering are saving for the first time owing to the product. Moreover, for the first time ever,
more women than men were reported making claims (twice the number of claims as men), thanks to the
Tin Nogoya offering. All in all, these products have had a positive social and commercial impact!

NENE MAIGA
Director, Orange Money (CEO of Orange Mobile Finance, Mali)
mobiquity® Money: A Decade of Transforming Lives 69 mobiquity® Money: A Decade of Transforming Lives 70

Named after the Niger river, Niger, officially the Republic of the Niger, is
situated in Western Arica. Niger covers a land area of almost 1,270,000
square kilometers, making it the largest country in West Africa. Niger
is a developing country and its economy is concentrated around
subsistence, with some export agriculture in the more fertile south and
export of raw materials, especially uranium ore. Nigerien society is
diverse, a characteristic obtained from the long independent histories
of its several ethnic groups and regions and their relatively short period
of living in a single state. After the military coup in 2010, Niger became
a democratic, multi-party state.

The mobile space in Niger has proved to be a success story. According

to GSMA’s Digital Inclusion and Mobile Sector Taxation in Niger report,
the sector’s total revenue accounted for 5 per cent of the country’s
gross domestic product in 2015. In addition, seeing as 81 per cent of
the population lives outside urban areas, telecom operators have
successfully expanded mobile connectivity to these areas. On the flip
side, though, mobile penetration (in terms of unique subscribers) stood
at 24 per cent in 2016, which is well behind other African countries.
This can be attributed to the affordability of mobile services. To illustrate,
as per the report, typical monthly voice and SMS services correspond
to 47 per cent of average monthly gross national income per capita,
compared to 14 per cent on average across the least developed countries.
In this regard, enhancing the use of mobile services is regarded as a
services. For example, mobile money has been used
by organisations such as the UN and the World Food
Programme to distribute aid in the country and has
allowed Nigeriens to recieve cross-border remittances.
In addition, mobile money platforms can also support
international transfer payments, thereby allowing Nigeriens
to receive cross-border remittance payments without
having to travel to foreign exchange bureaus or needing
bank accounts. Such services can therefore reduce
transaction costs, which would particularly benefit those
at the bottom of the pyramid. The idea is to make mobile

NIGER
key driver of social inclusion and economic growth. In fact, mobile money an integral cog of day-to-day payments, such
based applications have already provided access to life-changing as purchasing bus tickets, gas cylinders, etc.
mobiquity® Money: A Decade of Transforming Lives 71 mobiquity® Money: A Decade of Transforming Lives 72

Airtel Money in Niger has partnered with transportation company benefit the transport company as the collections directly go to the
STM TENERE to enable consumers to buy bus tickets company's account and there is no chance of revenue leakage.
instantly, easily and securely. Commuters can book tickets for Commuters can book tickets for domestic (within Niger) as well as
themselves and others, making this service accessible to all. international (Cote d'Ivoire and Burkina Faso) trips via Airtel Money.

Booking tickets via the mobile phone offers convenience for

AIRTEL
passengers and saved time and money. Cashless fare collections

AIRTEL MONEY
B U S
T I C K E T I N G

In a country where the unbanked population is significant and banking networks are far from commonplace,
Airtel Money provides a seamless and secure way to execute daily transactions. The Bus Ticketing
service, for example, permits customers to purchase tickets in a convenient and flexible manner. Bus
companies, meanwhile, obtain assured customers, which permits them to focus on fleet management,
customer care and time management. All in all, a win-win proposition for all parties involved.

FATOUMA ZARA MAILELE

Director, Airtel Money
mobiquity® Money: A Decade of Transforming Lives 73 mobiquity® Money: A Decade of Transforming Lives 74

More than 90 per cent of the households in Niger use coal or
wood for cooking. This, in turn, results in significant deforestation,
often over four times the area of Niger's capital, Niamey. To prevent
deforestation and environmental degradation, the government
is encouraging people to use butane gas for cooking, which is
sufficiently available in the country.
Private gas distribution companies like Gani Gas are helping
the government accelerate the adoption of gas for cooking.
To ensure easy availability and payment, Gani Gas has partnered
with Orange to allow the purchase of gas bottles (gas cylinders)
using Orange Money. Orange Money allows customers to make
payments for gas in one go or in instalments. The ability to pay
in instalments makes buying the gas more affordable. Hence,
even low-income households are encouraged to switch from
wood to gas.

ORANGE
ORANGE MONEY
P A Y M E N T
F O R
C O O K I N G
G A S

Orange Money’s strategy was simple - by encouraging customers to use their mobile money service to
pay for gas, the objectives of preserving the environment, combating desertification and popularizing
domestic gas were achieved. Customers are able to pay for their gas cylinders securely and instantly at the
click of a button. Meanwhile, gas companies are able to keep track of their order books and deliver on time,
every time. A win-win situation for all parties involved!

ALKEROU HASSANE MOUSSA

Director, Orange Money
mobiquity® Money: A Decade of Transforming Lives 75 mobiquity® Money: A Decade of Transforming Lives 76

One of the smallest countries on the African mainland, Rwanda is a

sovereign state in Central and East Africa. The country has a presidential
system of government. Rwanda’s economy is based largely on
subsistence agriculture. Coffee and tea are the major cash crops for
export. Tourism is a fast-growing sector and is now the country’s leading
foreign exchange earner. The country’s population is young and
predominantly rural, with a density amongst the highest in Africa.

Rwanda’s journey to becoming a cashless economy began in 2008.

Since then, the country has, indeed, come a long way. To illustrate,
the progress made by mobile money has been the most notable. As
per data released by the Central Bank, 1,448 and 59,952 bank and
mobile money agents respectively were recorded in December 2016.
In fact, as per industry estimates, in 2011, there were only RWF 700
million in mobile money transactions. In 2017, mobile money transactions
in the country had peaked to RWF 1.2 trillion, which points to the
increased economic activity as well as growth in financial inclusion.
Mobile money has, needless to say, provided consumers with convenient,
inexpensive and secure access to their funds, reduced cash and check
handling for merchants, and expanded the overall customer base.
Moreover, with mobile money in particular, customers are able to
instantly send payments from their mobile phones instead of traveling
an hour or more to distant bank branches - a 2016 Finsocpe survey
showed that consumers spend on average an hour to get to a bank
branch. The government, too, can benefit from such services - the
less cash is transacted, the more people are pulled into the formal,
taxpaying economy, and the more transparent services become.

In Rwanda, for example, owing to the Rwanda Online Project, the

volume of payments to government (P2G) grew by 355 per cent, up
from 71,655 in June 2016 to 326,210 transactions in June 2017 and
by 315 per cent in value, from RWF 492 million in June 2016 to RWF
2 billion in June 2017. All in all, the progress made by the country is
testament to how digital transformation can drive economic growth.

RWANDA
mobiquity® Money: A Decade of Transforming Lives 77 mobiquity® Money: A Decade of Transforming Lives 78

Airtel Money Rwanda has made payments for government
services on the Irembo e-Government platform simpler and
more convenient. Irembo (irembo.gov.rw) is a one-stop portal
for e-government services. Airtel Money users are able to pay
directly from their mobile phone for services like birth and marriage
certificates, driving licenses, applications for national IDs and
single entry conference visas.
They recieve a code which has to be entered on the Airtel Money
application to make the payments. Digitizing government
payments saves time and allows even unbanked users
to apply for government services online and pay instantly. This
initiative creates a cashless economy and the service helps in
reducing bribes and making government services more efficient
and transparent.

Rwandans just have to apply for the government services from

AIRTEL
the Irembo portal and select the “pay via Airtel Money” option.

AIRTEL MONEY
ONLINE
PAYMENTS
FOR
GOVERNMENT
SERVICES

The word Irembo is synonymous with access, service and openness. Keeping in line with this, the Airtel
Rwanda and Rwanda Online Platform Limited partnership is aimed at simplifying payments for government
services. Customers can reduce the cost and time of executing transactions with the Irembo platform
while obtaining access to a plethora of services. The idea is to provide an instant, safe and secure
payment medium, while harnessing cutting-edge mobile technology.

STEVE GASANA
Product Head, Airtel Money
mobiquity® Money: A Decade of Transforming Lives 79 mobiquity® Money: A Decade of Transforming Lives 80

The thirteenth largest country in Africa, Tanzania, or officially, the

United Republic of Tanzania, is a sovereign state in Eastern Africa.
Ranked as the thirty-first largest country globally, it is spread across
947,303 square kilometres. Tanzania is a presidential constitutional
republic. The Tanzanian economy is heavily dependent on agriculture,
industry and construction. In addition, tourism and travel also
constitute a major part.

Tanzania is often cited the ‘most conducive environment’ for growth of

non-traditional banking. It is ranked sixth globally and leads the
pack in Africa for enabling financial inclusion through non-traditional
banking. Mobile money is a key contributor to non-traditional banking
in Tanzania and has completely transformed the financial landscape
in the country. As per data released by the Tanzania Communications
Regulatory Authority for the period July-September 2017, the total
number of mobile money accounts stood at 21,611,855.

In terms of services too, the country has come a long way. From first
generation services, such as person-to-person transfers, bill payments,
recharges, etc, the focus has shifted and deepened to include a wide
range of customer segments. Second generation ‘first-of-their-kind’
services are now available, such as micro-loans to small businessmen,
insurance to farmers, loans, etc. In fact, customer experience is as
important as the service itself, with contactless merchant payments
coming in as well. Last but certainly not the least, Tanzania was the
very first country in Africa to launch interoperable mobile services.
All in all, to say that the market is highly developed in terms of mobile
money services would, indeed, be an understatement.

TANZANIA
mobiquity® Money: A Decade of Transforming Lives 81 mobiquity® Money: A Decade of Transforming Lives 82

Airtel Money Tap Tap leverages the extensive use of mobile
money in Tanzania and combines it with the simplicity of
near-field communication's (NFC) ‘tap and pay’ mechanism to
make contactless merchant payments a reality in Tanzania.
Tap Tap is the first closed-loop mobile money NFC payments
in Africa. Tap Tap equips merchants with a portable NFC
point-of-sale (POS); a mini-calculator sized GSM device
linked to the merchant's Airtel money account. It also provides
consumers with an NFC card linked to their Airtel Money account.
Tap Tap digitizes micro-payments and brings it into the formal
economy. It solves the problem of 'change' and enables
can pay for goods and services at 30 Total fuel stations and
46 Puma fuel stations across Tanzania. More than 60 bars
and restaurants accept Tap Tap payments. Tap Tap will soon
become the largest POS network in Tanzania, surpassing
the network of conventional bank POS in the country.
Richard, a street vendor, sells bottles which costs TZS 12,000.
Many times customers do not tender exact change, but with
Tap Tap, he is able to collect the exact amount from his customers.
Abdul, a bike taxi driver, uses Tap Tap to accept payments.
This has proved beneficial for him, as Tap Tap solves the

AIRTEL
customers to make exact payments.
problem of change.
Tap Tap is accepted by over 3,800 merchants and deployed
by over 50,000 Airtel Money users. An Airtel Money customer

AIRTEL MONEY
T A P
T A P
It wouldn't be an understatement to say that Tanzania is coming at par with digital payments in Western
countries, especially in the mobile money space. Let's not forget that the merchant space is ten times bigger
than the person-to-person space, hence the opportunities are endless. To realize the vision of a cashless
economy, we need to digitize day-to-day micro payments which the Airtel Money Tap Tap service achieves.
For merchants, managing cash and the problem of change is now mitigated, as all customers need to
do is tap and pay. Now, customers and the merchant are both happy!

SUNIL COLASO
Managing Director
mobiquity® Money: A Decade of Transforming Lives 83 mobiquity® Money: A Decade of Transforming Lives 84

Airtel Tanzania, in partnership with Jumo, provides short-term
micro-loans to Airtel Money customers through the Airtel Timiza
service. Timiza allows customers to borrow loans between TZS
500 and TZS 500,000 through their mobile phones, without the
need of submitting any document or opening a savings account.
The customer's eligibility for loan and the loan amount depends
upon the customer's age on the network, usage of Airtel services
and previous loan history. Customers have to pay the loan
within a month, with a small interest fee.
Airtel Timiza is used by 2 million Airtel Money customers to
disburses loans worth $60 million per year, making Airtel
Tanzania the largest micro lender in the country.
After a successful debut, the Airtel Timiza service was extended
to Airtel Money agents. Dubbed Timiza Wakala Loans, the
service allows Airtel Money agents the freedom to seek quick
loans. Agents are scored purely on their mobile activity to decide
their eligibility and the loan amount. Additionally, as one repays
a loan within a month's time, a new one becomes immediately
available. Timiza Wakala loans serve a network of 50,000
Airtel Money agents in Tanzania. One third of all Airtel Money

AIRTEL
manage emergency and everyday financial requirements. For agents use Timiza and some agents are now qualifying for
example, Salvius A. Mwanyika is using Airtel Timiza loans to loans of as much as TZS 1 million. Most agents use Timiza
boost his shoes and general supplies business. Airtel Timiza Wakala to manage their Airtel Money float.

AIRTEL MONEY
T I M I Z A
In Tanzania, mobile money has completely transformed the way customers perform financial transactions.
The impact of mobile money on the lives of people in Tanzania has been significant. From money transfers
to micro-loans, mobile money has helped Tanzania achieve a drastic shift from an informal to a formal
economy. Take, for example, the Airtel Timiza service. Customers can avail of short-term loans when they
need money instantly. These may range from medical emergencies to paying their child's school fees.
At the other end of the spectrum, agents stand to benefit as well, especially if they wish to expand their
business. For example, during unusually busy times, say, the festive season, agents can add to their
existing stocks in an instant, thanks to this service.

SUNIL COLASO
Managing Director
mobiquity® Money: A Decade of Transforming Lives 85 mobiquity® Money: A Decade of Transforming Lives 86

Four institutions, namely; Airtel Tanzania, Seed Co Tanzania,
Agriculture and Climate Risk Enterprise Limited (ACRE) Africa
and UAP Insurance Tanzania, collaborated to launch Tanzania's
first mobile crop insurance service. Dubbed Linda Mbegu,
meaning 'protect your seeds' in Swahili, the service allows
farmers to insure their seeds.
Agriculture is Tanzania's biggest sector employing 80 per cent of
the workforce. One bad season of inadequate rainfall can result
in crop failure or reduction in production which negatively impacts
the farmers' lives. The Linda Mbegu service ensures that in the
number of bags of seed they purchased replaced at the local agro
dealer. Thus, small-hold farmers are able to replant the seeds
in the next season.
The packets of seed purchased contain a special card, with a
number. Farmers have to access the Airtel Money menu and
enter the number to insure their seeds. In case of crop failure,
the refund would be paid through Airtel Money. Initially, the
service is available to farmers here in Kagera, Shinyanga,
Mara and Mwanza regions.

AIRTEL
event of rainfall failure, the farmer gets the equivalent of the

AIRTEL MONEY
L I N D A
M B E G U
It would be a bit of an understatement to say that mobile technology has enhanced every aspect of a
country's economy. The Linda Mbegu service is no exception, particularly when viewed in the context
of a country like Tanzania. The agriculture sector is a significant contributor to Tanzania’s socio-economic
wealth. However, farmers always run the risk of having to deal with natural calamities, resulting in poor
output. Linda Mbegu offers farmers security and capital detainment, which, in turn will fuel agricultural activity
and have a positive impact on the economy at large.

ISACK NCHUNDA
Marketing Director and Head, Airtel Money
mobiquity® Money: A Decade of Transforming Lives 87 mobiquity® Money: A Decade of Transforming Lives 88

Airtel Money connected with Tigo Pesa in 2014 to make Tanzania
the first country in Africa to adopt interoperability between mobile
money providers. Interoperability allows customers to directly
send money from Airtel Money Wallets to Tigo Pesa, Ezy Pesa
or M-Pesa wallets and vice versa. Interoperability catalyzes
mobile money growth and creates a truly inclusive financial
Interoperable transactions are in excess of $16 million per month,
and growing consistently at 10 per cent month on month. Building
customer loyalty helps optimize costs for mobile money providers
while providing greater convenience.

AIRTEL
ecosystem by reducing barriers for customers to transact.

AIRTEL MONEY
I N T E R O P E R A B I L I T Y

We are proud to be the forerunners of interoperability in Africa. This, by all means, may be considered
a step in the right direction for ensuring financial inclusion. Profitably coexisting with competition in this
regard would mean that customers have the freedom to transfer money to subscribers on another mobile
network. No longer is the process cumbersome and expensive. The very basic service of transferring
money has become affordable and hassle free! A win-win situation for all involved - it brings convenience
for customers and cost savings for operators.

FRANKY FILMAN
IT Director
mobiquity® Money: A Decade of Transforming Lives 89 mobiquity® Money: A Decade of Transforming Lives 90

Zambia, or officially, the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country

in Southern Africa. In 2010, it was named ‘one of the world’s fastest
economically reformed countries’ by the World Bank. Zambia’s economy
has traditionally been based on the copper mining and agriculture
industries. The country’s political structure is based on a presidential
representative democratic republic. Zambia is one of the most highly
urbanized countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. It is also the most ethnically
diverse, with 73 ethnic tribes.

Zambia’s journey of adopting digital financial services has been

an interesting one. According to data released by Bank of Zambia,
in 2014, only 2 per cent of the adult population were active registered
users of such services. Moreover, there were a total of 1,656 active
agents in the country. In 2016, as per the United Nations Capital
Development Fund (UNCDF), 18 per cent of the adult Zambian
population are active registered users and there are a total of 12,307
active agents. In short, today, the digital financial services space in
Zambia is a competitive and diverse one. In terms of services, as per
the UNCDF-MM4P Annual Provider Survey, State of the Digital Financial
Services Market in Zambia, 2016, new offerings launched in 2016
included second generation products, such as microloans (microcredit),
pay-as-you-go solar payments and international remittances. However,
the Zambian market is still heavily dominated by first-generation products,
including person-to-person (P2P) transfers, airtime purchases, bill
(utility) payments, and cash-in and cash-out transactions.

ZAMBIA
mobiquity® Money: A Decade of Transforming Lives 91 mobiquity® Money: A Decade of Transforming Lives 92

The Zambia Revenue Authority (ZRA) partnered with Airtel Money
to enable tax payers in Zambia to pay their domestic taxes
using the Airtel Money platform. The service allows businesses,
especially sole traders and small businesses, to make tax
payments digitally from the convenience of their home or office,
without the need to close their business during working hours.
The Airtel Money payment facility enables taxpayers to move
from more complicated processes to a convenient, user-friendly
and cost effective method of making payments.
then access the Airtel Money menu on their mobile phone,
select ZRA and enter the PRN, followed by their Airtel Money
personal identification number (PIN) to complete the payment.
Capturing tax transactions electronically is helping ZRA mitigate
malpractices and inefficiencies prevalent in cash based
transactions and enhance the overall efficiency in collecting taxes.
Due to mobile money, taxes are collected on time, enabling the
government to quickly provision funds for services such as
healthcare, pension funds, roads and other public facilities.

AIRTEL
Before proceeding to payments, taxpayers obtain a Payment
Registration Number (PRN) from the ZRA website. Taxpayers

AIRTEL MONEY
T A X
P A Y M E N T S
We live busy lives and have to often rush to pay our bills and taxes on the last day. Mobile money comes
as a handy and convenient solution in such scenarios. Airtel Money Tax Payment service is a befitting
example. Airtel Money users in Zambia can pay their taxes within minutes from the comfort of their
homes or offices, when they are unable to visit the ZRA offices. With this innovative service the country is
becoming technology proficient and moving towards the ‘SMART ZAMBIA’ vision.

TUKUZA LUNGU
Head of Operations, Airtel Money
mobiquity® Money: A Decade of Transforming Lives 93 mobiquity® Money: A Decade of Transforming Lives 94

Zimbabwe is a landlocked country located in South Africa. It is a republic,

with a presidential system of government. Once a major player in the
Southern African economy with a well-developed financial services sector,
in 1998 Zimbabwe descended into a volatile decade of hyperinflation,
currency collapse, high unemployment and loss of confidence in the
banking sector. This has had an adverse impact on consumers, especially
their faith in financial institutions. In fact, when the multi-currency system
was introduced, it was difficult for banks to assign value to account
balances of largely worthless Zimbabwean dollars, and many customers
lost all their savings. In the long-term, the ‘ex-banked’ segment of the
population who have had a bank account in the past, are now choosing
to use informal financial services instead. This chain of events led to
the advent of mobile money.

Since then, mobile money has made significant inroads in the country.
As per GSMA’s State of the Industry Report: The Decade Edition:
2006-2016, over 40 per cent of the adult population uses the facility
on an active basis-or 90 days. Overall, while airtime purchases, cash-in,
person-to-person transfers and cash-out are still the most popular
transaction types, usage patterns are steadily changing. Today, mobile
money is being leveraged to receiving remittances, enhancing savings,
obtaining loans and paying bills at merchant points-of-sale. In 2016,
as per the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe, mobile money payments in
Zimbabwe accounted for 81.2 per cent of all electronic payment
transactions. Also, as per industry reports, mobile money transaction
volumes accounted for 50 per cent of Zimbabwe’s gross domestic
product. All in all, the service has without a doubt, not only empowered
but enhanced the financial lives and livelihoods of the underbanked
and the underserved.

ZIMBABWE
mobiquity® Money: A Decade of Transforming Lives 95 mobiquity® Money: A Decade of Transforming Lives 96

EcoCash Save, launched in collaboration with Steward Bank, is
an easy to use micro-savings product, targeted at more than
6 million EcoCash customers. EcoCash customers can open an
EcoCash Save account on their mobile phones without
producing proof of residence, payslips or any other form of
paperwork. EcoCash Save customers can save as little as
$1 and earn interest on the savings balance. EcoCash Save
customers do not need to pay any account opening or
monthly maintenance fee. EcoCash Save has over 1.5
million customers, more than the sum of depositors in all
commercial banks in Zimbabwe.
Conference Maminya is a vendor at a flea market in Zimbabwe.
Before EcoCash Save, he used to take his money home. However,
he was always afraid of getting robbed and used to spend money
impulsively. But with EcoCash Save, he is able to keep his money
secure and also earn interest.
Talkmore Ndavatya is a gardener in Hauna Honde Valley. He
used to keep his money underground in a clay pot where it
earned no interest. Thanks to EcoCash, he finally opened an
account without a payslip. He saves money without paying
any kind of charges as well as earns interest.

ECONET
WIRELESS
E C O C A S H
S A V E
The EcoCash Save service facilitates the process of bringing the unbanked into the financial services
fold, by ensuring that banking becomes a service for the masses, as opposed to being accessed by just
a few. Customers no longer have to travel long distances to reach the nearest bank branch. The process
of opening a bank account, which was a formidable process for, let’s say, a daily wage worker, has become
very simple. No longer does the customer need to provide proof of their income, but become a part of
a ‘savings-centric’ culture. This is especially impactful, keeping in mind customers’ decreased trust in
formal means.

VINOD SHARMA
Chief Technology Officer, EcoCash
mobiquity® Money: A Decade of Transforming Lives 97 mobiquity® Money: A Decade of Transforming Lives 98

Econet Wireless, in collaboration with Mastercard, issued the
EcoCash Debit Card in 2014. The card is linked to a customer’s
EcoCash account. With the EcoCash Debit Card, customers
can withdraw money from Mastercard-licensed ATMs and make
payments at millions of merchants that accept Mastercard
payment cards, both in Zimbabwe and internationally.
EcoCash Debit Card is Africa’s first physical Mastercard
companion card. In 2015, Econet Wireless went a step ahead
and issued a near-field communication (NFC) version of the
Mastercard Debit Card, the EcoCash Express Debit Card. The
Express Debit Card allows consumers to make payments by
tapping the card at NFC POS terminals that accept
Mastercard payments.
The EcoCash Debit Card benefits both merchants and consumers as
it solves the change problem. It is also used by many expats, travelers
and students who travel outside Zimbabwe, to make payments.

ECONET
WIRELESS
E C O C A S H
D E B I T

From heavily relying on paper money to becoming less cash, and then cashless, Zimbabwe has certainly
C A R D

come a long way. The EcoCash Debit Card has played a pivotal role in payment transformations in
Zimbabwe. Giving the plastic money tool to Zimbabweans to use and come up to the rest of the world
has proven to be a good decision as it gave new heights to EcoCash. EcoCash Debit Card helped travelers to
enjoy the ease of cashless travel with safety and security especially for travelers crossing borders by road.
EcoCash card became one of the easiest and most convenient ways for online shopping, payments in
foreign land and keeping small wallets while traveling. Any one can buy this card and use it based on EcoCash
wallet balance, a factor that makes these cards popular with most Zimbabweans. It helped to expand
the acceptability of EcoCash and create awareness across the globe.

VINOD SHARMA
Chief Technology Officer, EcoCash
mobiquity® Money: A Decade of Transforming Lives 99 mobiquity® Money: A Decade of Transforming Lives 100

The EcoCash Savings Club provides a more inclusive, secure,
transparent and convenient way for people to pool funds using
their mobile wallet. The EcoCash Savings Club digitizes traditional
local savings clubs known as ‘mukando’ or ‘maround’ in Zimbabwe.
The EcoCash Savings Club is aimed at millions of people, who,
until now, have been performing group savings informally without
access to the formal banking channels. This is because they
are not recognized as financially eligible by mainstream banks.
The service is targeted at the self-employed, informal sector
entrepreneurs, street vendors and social investor womens’ groups.
Women constitute 60 per cent of the customer base, showcasing
the inclusive nature of the product. The EcoCash Savings
Club and the Mbereko Women’s Group at the Border Church
Clinic, in Zimbabwe’s rural district of Marondera, provide access
to emergency finances to pregnant women and new mothers.
With group savings and access to pooled funds, pregnant women
or new mothers now have money to take care of themselves
and their babies.

ECONET
WIRELESS
E C O C A S H
S A V I N G S
C L U B

In Zimbabwe, the EcoCash Savings Club has contributed significantly to enhancing women’s financial
independence. By participating, women are able to systematically develop the habit of saving, via a secure,
rewarding and easy to use financial system. Instruments like the EcoCash Savings Club help to ensure
that funds are readily available for emergency situations, as well as day-to-day expenditure. Mahindra
Comviva’s support has helped us to modernize traditional savings channels and has boosted our effort
to bring in innovative payment services to new customer segments.

NATALIE JABANGWE
Chief Information Officer, EcoCash
mobiquity® Money: A Decade of Transforming Lives 101 mobiquity® Money: A Decade of Transforming Lives 102

3 million Zimbabweans (20 per cent of the country's population)
are in diaspora. They send over $2 billion to Zimbabwe,which
annually equals 14 per cent of Zimbabwe's GDP. Only 50 per cent
of the total remittance ($1 billion) flows through formal channels,
while the rest flows through informal channels. EcoCash,
Zimbabwe's largest mobile money service, has launched the
EcoCash diaspora, which provides a quick, secure, cost effective
and convenient way for Zimbabweans in diaspora to send
money back home.
EcoCash has partnered with multiple money transfer operators
(MTOs) including Western Union, WorldRemit, MoneyGram,
Afrocoin, Chitoro, Mukuru, InstaCash, IMB and Hand2Hand.
These partnerships enable Zimbabweans in over 200 countries
to send money directly to EcoCash customers in Zimbabwe.
EcoCash has also partnered with two mobile service providers,
MTN Zambia and CallHome South Africa, to provide direct
mobile wallet to mobile wallet money transfer. The partnership
with MTN allows MTN Mobile Money users in Zambia to directly
send money across the border to EcoCash users in Zimbabwe.
The EcoCash diaspora service accounts for approximately
30 per cent of the total remittance flowing into Zimbabwe.

ECONET
WIRELESS
E C O C A S H
D I A S P O R A

Services such as the EcoCash diaspora are much-needed in Zimbabwe, keeping in mind the huge dependence
on remittances. Traditionally, though, remittances through informal channels were inconvenient, risky
and time consuming. The service plays a positive role towards economic development and improving
people's livelihood. It allowed poor households to receive vital maintenance money, sent by their
relatives from diaspora.

NATALIE JABANGWE
Chief Information Officer, EcoCash
mobiquity® Money: A Decade of Transforming Lives 103 mobiquity® Money: A Decade of Transforming Lives 104

MAMADOU
ASIF AHMED RASHEDA SULTANA SEABELO PILANE JAPHET ARITHO LAMINE TRAORE

DOUDOU ALDAYAROV NURLAN ALKEROU

HERNANDO RUBIO YOUSSOUPHA SALL
CHARLES BAHIZIRE NURKULOVICH HASSANE MOUSSA

Celebrating ten years of Thank You

®
mobiquity Money FRANKY FILMAN
With your support, our mobile money
journey has not only obtained a fillip but
has achieved significant heights as well.
ZRING FARUK

Here’s to many more years of lucrative

partnerships between our companies.
Thank you for making this journey possible. Fatouma
Zara Mailele
Manoranjan Mohapatra
Chief Executive Officer
PASCAL N'NAH OYONO

DINA MALLET TUKUZA LUNGU SUNIL COLASO ISACK NCHUNDA NENE MAIGA

STEVE GASANA TRACEY SMITH CHRIS SUKASUKA VINOD SHARMA NATALIE JABANGWE
mobiquity® Money: A Decade of Transforming Lives 105 mobiquity® Money: A Decade of Transforming Lives 106

®
mobiquity Money MOBILE FINANCIAL SOLUTIONS

60+
DEPLOYMENTS

45+
COUNTRIES

100 million
CONSUMERS

$60 billion
ANNUAL TRANSACTION VALUE

3.6 billion
ANNUAL TRANSACTIONS VOLUME

mobiquity is registered trademark in India only

®
mobiquity® Money: A Decade of Transforming Lives
F U T U R E
Transforming Digital Payments for
The Business of Tomorrows
TerraPay
THE WORLD’S FIRST
MOBILE PAYMENTS
SWITCH
TerraPay is the world’s first mobile payments
switch. It is a business-to-business (B2B)
transaction processing, clearing and settlement
service for mobile wallets. Terra has been founded
with the vision to send money to any mobile. Terra
interconnects financial services providers - mobile
wallet service providers, money transfer operators,
banks and payment platforms – to create ‘one
network’ for secure and seamless transnational
movement of funds. The network facilitates a broad
transaction set including interpersonal transfers,
e-payments and government disbursements.
107
R E A D Y
MobiLytix™
Advanced Loyalty
For Mobile Money
ENHANCING THE
MOBILE MONEY ECOSYSTEM
Comviva’s MobiLytix™ Advanced Loyalty for
Mobile Money is a marketing engagement
automation platform for digital payments. It is aimed
at encouraging the use of mobile money services;
rewarding customers for utilizing e-money, instead
of cashing out immediately and enhancing the
subscriber and agent’s engagement levels. Moreover,
the offering is designed to ensure customer loyalty,
while building a bigger ecosystem for mobile money.
A few key benefits the product offers include building
long-term subscriber value, amplifying the customer’s
experience, boosting customer loyalty and reinforcing
subscriber engagement.
mobiquity®
Wallet
A WHITE-LABELED
MOBILE WALLET SOLUTION
THAT INTEGRATES
PAYMENTS, LOYALTY,
AND MOBILE MARKETING
It leverages a host of technologies to create an
omni-channel customer experience across various
touch points such as bank branches, stores, ATMs,
malls, and on the web for payments and shopping.
It is one of the first mobile wallet platforms to use
Near-field Communication (Host Card Emulation)
(NFC, HCE), QR Codes, Bluetooth Low Energy
(BLE), geo-fencing, sound-based payments
and biometrics.
The mobiquity® Wallet offers an end-to-end HCE
solution including tokenization, thereby enabling
wallet issuers to launch contactless payments. HCE
simplifies the NFC payment ecosystem and reduces
the operational costs entailed in launching such
payments. It also permits easy integration into the
Visa Token Service (VTS) and the Mastercard
Digital Enablement Service (MDES). The
mobiquity® Wallet also offers a prepaid wallet
which enables consumers to send money to any
mobile number and email address, recharge, pay
bills and insurance premiums, send or receive
payments from social handles, etc.
payPLUS
ENABLING BANKS, MERCHANT
ACQUIRERS AND TELECOM
OPERATORS TO EQUIP
THEIR MERCHANT PARTNERS
WITH A UNIFIED PAYMENT
ACCEPTANCE PLATFORM
The offering facilitates the acceptance of multiple
payment instruments such as cards, digital wallets,
mobile money wallets, Unified Payments Interface
(UPI), QR code-based payments (mVisa, Masterpass
QR, Bharat QR) and biometric payments (like Aadhaar
Pay) across multiple channels.
Consequently, the merchant no longer has to remember
multiple passwords across various instruments,
while the unified payments acceptance feature
simplifies reporting and reconciliation. Merchants
obtain a single dashboard view of sales through all
digital channels, thereby permitting them to take
informed business decisions.
mobiquity® Money: A Decade of Transforming Lives 108
Zoto Micro-Lending
A MOBILE-BASED SOLUTION A FINTECH VENTURE AIMED AT
THAT PROVIDES FAST AND LEVERAGING THE MULTI-TRILLION
HASSLE-FREE PAYMENTS, DOLLAR GLOBAL OPPORTUNITY
IN NIGERIA IN MICRO-LENDING
In Nigeria, customer behavior has already shifted The aim is to provide financial services to over two
to the mobile handset at lightning speed, owing billion underserved customers globally. Today, the
to affordable smartphones and data. However, biggest challenge in this space is providing financial
the payment experience is still cash driven or services to customers unable to access formal and
web-centric. A large part of the population still organized financial systems. These people typically
stands in queues to pay bills and uses scratch do not have a credit history, largely including the
cards/USSD codes for recharges. Zoto fills this unbanked, under-banked and small business owners.
gap with its mobile-based solution that provides
With this in mind, Comviva aims at enabling mobile
fast and hassle-free payments.
operators and banks to acquire and underwrite
It has made payments simpler, cheaper and faster, millions of these underserved consumers.
and, more importantly, accessible to anybody with
a smartphone. The strategy is to leverage Nigeria’s
mobile revolution and play a deeper role in the digital
and commercial lives of customers through anytime,
anywhere payments. A few key services include
airtime recharge, data recharge, postpaid bills,
television subscriptions, broadband bills, electricity,
movie tickets and betting. In the near future, services
such as merchant payments, credit ecosystem,
person-to-person transfers and other financial
service categories are also expected to come
under this gamut.
mobiquity® Money: A Decade of Transforming Lives 109
THANK YOU
Our journey and experience with mobile money has been eventful-to say
the least. From our very first mobiquity® deployment in 2006, we currently
stand strong with over 60 deployments in more than 45 countries, catering to
100 million registered mobile money customers. Of course, we couldn’t have
managed this feat ourselves! On this note, I would like to take this opportunity
to extend a warm “thank you” to all our customers who have helped us
achieve several milestones in last decade. After all, inking partnerships
that leverage the strength of each entity is the name of the game. At the
end of the day, I strongly believe that success comes with leveraging
eachstakeholder’s expertise to the fullest.
Of course, the scale that exists today wasn’t achieved overnight. It was a
long process-to say the least-and carried out in two phases. In the early days,
mobile money service providers who were predominantly telecom operators
spent the better part of their time establishing the base for the service. This
largely entailed acquiring customers and growing the agent network. This
was to make people aware of the mobile money service where mobile money
agents and brand ambassadors propagated the message by educating
customers about the finer details of the service. What followed (naturally)
was what we dub “first generation” services-or, simply put- cash-in, airtime
recharge and cash-out.The next wave of usage included person-to-person
(P2P) transfers, bill and merchant payments. However, the usage of merchant
payments and bulk disbursments like subsidies or salary payments were limited.
Once the service had (somewhat) hit home with customers on enabling
their basic payment requirements, the focus shifted toservices that focused
on enabling the overall financial requirements of customers - micro-loans,
savings, insurance, international remittances, et all, were the order of the
day. Partnerships, too, as mobile money service providers teamed up with
other mobile money providers offer cross-border payments and also enabling
interoperability within a country. Just a quick side-note, to provide an idea
of how the product mix has changed between 2011 and 2016, as per GSMA’s
State of the Industry Report, in 2011, P2P transfers and airtime top-up
accounted for 92.2 per cent of total transaction volume. In 2016, though P2P
transfers and airtime top-up still ruled the roost, its share dropped to 81.2
per cent. The share of transaction value for P2P Transfers and airtime top-up
also dropped from 84.5 per cent in 2011 to 74.3 per cent in 2016. This drop,
was, in fact, offset by ecosystem services including bill payments, merchant
payments, bulk payments and international remittances.
Next up, second generation services showed their mettle. In the first phase,
a battle of wills existed between banks and mobile money services. From
competition to collaborating, things have taken an interesting turn. Banks
are either launching their own mobile money services or are partnering
Srinivas Nidugondi
Senior Vice-President and Head, Mobile Financial Solutions
mobiquity® Money: A Decade of Transforming Lives 110
with the very same mobile money providers to offer banking services and
increase their reach.
The next decade of mobile money is expected to keep us on our toes as well.
Here’s why-the need of the hour is to push mobile money itself to encompass
more use cases. In fact, the ecosystem, too, needs to be expanded by bringing
together merchants, billers, government entities, banks, et all, onto one platform.
The result? Well, hopefully, a more financially healthy (read: included) world.
Moving on, user experience will take centre stage, that is, services such
as bill payments, merchant payments, P2P transfers, obtaining loans, etc,
are expected to become simpler. In fact, changes on the operational level
are expected as well-for instance, challenges such as transfers to the wrong
recipients and resetting one’s pin, are mitigated. The result? An enhanced
and improved experience for the customer and reduced operational costs
for the mobile money provider. In fact, while we’re on the subject, permit
me to add that the growth in near-field communication (NFC) technology
and QR code-based payments will simply function to better the entire
experience. Clearly, a win-win for all!
Next up, smartphone penetration is expected to grow by leaps and bounds - from
46 per cent in end-2016 to 62 per cent by 2020. This is expected to provide
a fillip to the (already) significant array of mobile money applications.
Interoperability, too, will grow. In 2016, this was present in 15 markets. This
will grow further as more countries will adopt interoperability. In a step in
this direction, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has developed an
open source software enabling interoperability called Mojaloop.
Last but certainly not the least, mobile money is expected to spread to
new segments. Currently, its user base mostly comprises of tech-savvy
urban customers -i.e. the innovators and early adopters. Going forward,
in the next decade, the service is expected to ‘cross the chasm’ and include
the early and late user majority as well. This will be possible, as mobile
money will reach women, small-holder farmers, small-and-medium enterprises
and the rural population.
This is, of course, just the beginning. With the certainty that the global digital
payments space is poised to witness many interesting (albeit, sometimes
strange and unexpected) twists and turns, strengthening the ties between
our companies is the next obvious step. After all, who better to partner with,
to weather the many, many disruptions and challenges the industry is bound
to throw our way?
Here’s looking forward to two decades of mobile money!